Chapter Four

Chapter 4

THE NEXT FEW DAYS passed by pleasantly, for the most part.

In the mornings, Sofia tried to paint, though inspiration did not come easily. Violent streaks of red and black marred her canvases, swirls of darkness representing the emotions she refused to allow herself to feel. A void where her heart should be, sucking in all the anger and desolation that had become so quintessential to her life.

She tried to focus on the beautiful views that greeted her through the studio windows, tried dotting her palette with forest green, deep brown, and bright blue to match the sky, but somehow her brush was drawn towards scarlet red and raven black.

Red, the color of blood, which reminded her of all her failed cycles. Anguished memories, treatment hormones exacerbating her endo until all she could do was curl into a ball of pain.

The color of failure.

And the dark void which followed her like a storm cloud, mirroring the glowing protector that beat in her chest.

Still, painting was painting, and she’d be lying if she said there wasn’t a sense of catharsis as she stabbed at the canvas with her brush. A shedding of some of the pain and suffering she’d held onto so tightly, transferring from her body to the image.

In the afternoons, she settled on the couch with her nose in a holonovel, forcing herself to relax after struggling in her studio. The routine helped keep her mind off other things, off the feelings threatening to overwhelm her when she thought of her new husband.

Her cramps were acting up today after clearly overestimating herself the past week. Multiple orgasms every morning and night were taking a toll on her pelvic floor, not to mention the sizable stretch she got every time Braax fucked her.

Though she’d just started a new novel, that didn’t stop her from falling asleep on the couch, awaking to a gentle nuzzle at the nape of her neck and a whisper in her ear.

“Hello, my beautiful human.”

Sofia fluttered her eyes open, unable to stop the grin from spreading on her face as her new husband loomed over her.

“How was work?” she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes and sitting up with a yawn.

“It was fine, but I missed you.”

The answer warmed her heart, the same as it always did, though she wished it didn’t. This was a marriage of convenience, an alien who couldn’t be bothered to make an effort dating, so he had to sign up for a mail-order bride. He was kind enough, friendly enough, fucked well enough, and that was fine.

Braax sat next to her, pulling her into his lap and cradling her like he so enjoyed doing. His embrace was comforting, warm scales heating her bare arms. He nipped at her ear and Sofia giggled, though she already sensed the arousal coming off of him.

“I can’t tonight,” she said softly, not making eye contact.

He laughed, pressing his snout to her cheek in a chaste kiss.

“Were my most recent performances not up to your standards?”

“Oh, no. No, of course not. I mean, they were. Yes, they were very much up to my standards. Above my standards, really…” She cleared her throat, aware she was rambling. “I think I overexerted myself between all the…”

Vigorous fucking .

He brushed her hair, giving her a gentle smile when she met his gaze.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I? I know you are small, but I thought my seed would help.”

“No! No, it’s not you, it’s me. It’s, uh, the endometriosis.”

Braax blinked slowly, eyes narrowed as if he were trying to understand, so she continued.

“It really sucks. It makes your uterine lining grow outside the uterus and can be painful. Surgery helped, but there’s no cure.”

Endo also had the potential to make you infertile, along with the mind-numbing pain and horrendous periods. Sofia had been lucky enough to have every symptom in the book, though in the end, infertility had shown itself to be the worst of them, the one that had ruined her life.

“I will take care of you. Would a massage help?” he cocked his head in question and she smiled despite her discomfort.

Greyson never offered her massages—no, she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him. That part of her life was over, gone, and there was no sense in continuing to let him take up space in her brain.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

Without another word, he scooped her up in his arms, walking her to the bedroom. Sofia’s heart raced, though she tried to keep herself calm. She really needed a break tonight, no matter what her throbbing cunt tried to say.

Braax laid her gently on her back, and the heat between her legs pulsed as if on instinct, as if remembering all the nights and mornings she spent like this with her husband hovered over her. He helped her slide out of her pants and shirt, and the chill sent a shiver down her spine.

As always, his gentle touch surprised her, especially in contrast to the rough way he’d used her this morning. His broad fingers massaged her shoulders first, then each arm, before moving to her stomach. The touches tingled her scalp, a delicious warmth enveloping her as he worked her lower belly. The aching pain burned from his kneading, but gave way to relief as he moved to her thighs.

Sofia didn’t miss the way his nostrils flared, clearly scenting her arousal, the thin fabric of her underwear the only thing keeping them apart. Still, he made no move to act on their twin desires, massaging her thighs for a long while before instructing her to roll over.

“Does this help, sweet wife?”

She grinned into the pillow as he kneaded her shoulders and back, his pet names always making her chest flutter.

Her muffled voice answered.

“Yes, Braax, it feels really nice.”

She heard him laugh as he moved to her ass, spending quite a lot of time on those muscles before continuing on to her quads and calves. She had almost drifted off to sleep again when he whispered in her ear, setting every hair on end.

“I am so glad this helps. I will bring you dinner, if you wish.”

He crouched next to her, and she flipped herself, cheeks flushing as she gazed up at him.

With trouble, she stuttered her words.

“I-I’m fine. I can get out of bed. Thank you.”

His pupils dilated ever so slightly, and he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips, only lasting a moment.

“I will make dinner, then.”

Sofia let out a breath as he pushed away, giving her one last smile before leaving the bedroom. Even after a week, she couldn’t figure out what exactly this man was doing to her.

Had her relationship with Greyson really been that bad? Before the cheating came out, of course. Now, some kind words and a good fuck were enough to make her heart flutter? She supposed that Braax had more than just kind words. He’d made a whole art studio for her just because of what she’d written in her agency profile.

Still, she needed to remember why she was here. Most aliens who used the mating agency had some sort of perversion. It was why human females were so sought after. Clearly, he enjoyed sex with her. The kind words and gestures? Probably just to keep her happy, keep her in his bed.

That was why she had signed up in the first place. This was the kind of relationship she wanted. No expectations beyond physical pleasure.

No chance of heartbreak.

“You are certain you do not wish to return to Earth someday? Just for a visit. I have always been interested in seeing the planet.”

Braax eyed her over dinner one night; a roasted fowl of some sort and a bright purple, leafy vegetable slathered in butter. He was an excellent chef when it came to Hileth cuisine, and even his pancakes were improving now that she’d explained what syrup was.

Sofia looked up, eyes narrowed. Their time together had been pleasant enough, at least so far. He didn’t seem one to pry, but this was the third time he’d mentioned Earth.

“Not really, no. But if you want to go, I guess we could.”

An idea she wasn’t particularly excited about, but it would be easy enough to avoid her ex-husband on a planet with sixteen billion inhabitants. Honestly, she felt no desire to return to Earth, no nostalgia for the planet she’d called home for thirty-five years, which surprised her.

“I just thought it might be nice to see where my sweet human wife hails from.”

Well, that brought a reluctant grin to her face, though she counteracted it with a roll of her eyes.

“If you want to go, we can go. But don’t get mad at me when you end up disappointed.”

He chuckled, taking another bite of meat.

Sofia contemplated telling him about Greyson, about her actual life on Earth—not just the essentials of her former job and the intricacies of the high-speed rail system—but pushed that thought away. It wasn’t the first time she’d considered it, but she needed to remember why she was here.

They could be friendly, they could enjoy each other’s company, but this was not a normal marriage, one bonded by love.

This was a contract that they’d both entered into willingly.

Braax cleared his throat, his eyes glued to his plate.

“My family would like to meet you, if that is something you are comfortable with.”

In an instant, her heart dropped into her stomach, dread wriggling its icy fingers into her as she took a deep breath. She focused on the cloud that protected her, the one in her chest that blocked her fear and anxiety.

“Your family?”

He met her gaze, mouth curled into a frown.

“Yes. My mother and father. Three siblings. They have mates and… offspring.”

Of course they did, that all too familiar sinking sensation causing her body to slump in her chair. Meeting a partner’s family was bad enough, but it was worse when she knew she’d face the inevitable prying questions about children.

As if it were anyone’s business whether her husband was filling her up with his cum or not. As if she needed another reminder that she was barren.

“Sure. That… would be fine.”

Sofia’s eyes dropped to her plate, pushing bits of food around with her fork as her appetite disappeared.

“There is no hurry, of course,” he said quickly. “Whenever you feel ready.”

Could he sense her discomfort? Did she make it that obvious? Most people were completely oblivious to her disquiet, especially when it came to children.

They loved to blather on and on about their kids and how easy it was for them to get pregnant. Even the ones who knew about her struggles with infertility.

It was as if they couldn’t fathom how she felt, couldn’t possibly understand enough to realize she didn’t need to hear about every asinine thing their child did, that it hurt too much when she would have done anything to be able to have a kid to complain about.

She met Braax’s eyes as she looked up, his brow furrowed with concern.

“We do not have to go if you do not want to. I know it can be difficult to meet people in a large group like that. My mother can be particularly… challenging .”

Somehow that made her laugh, her giggle only increasing as he cocked his head in confusion.

“Oh, it’s a common Earth joke to complain about your partner’s mother,” she explained.

He chuckled.

“Yes, I can understand why.”

Sofia smiled, a distinct urge telling her to reach out to her husband, though she reined it in.

“Of course I’ll meet your family. I think I just need some more time to get adjusted.”

Braax nodded, a fanged grin spreading on his face.

“My dear wife, you can take as much time as you need.”