Her Alien Alpha (Salvaged Hearts Book 1) Read online

  Smiling, I brought my hands around her body, gently exploring, hands cupping her breasts. Her nipples hardened under my hands, and I growled, enjoying the sensation. Circling them with my thumbs, I made her gasp and cry out.

  “What do you call these?” I demanded, squeezing tighter and making her whimper. It took her a moment to get her breathing under control enough to answer.

  “Breasts,” she said. My claws brushed at her nipples, carefully pressing enough to delight but not hurt, and was rewarded with a little cry of pleasure.

  “Nipples,” Khaa-Ree told me without prompting, her voice husky and low. I repeated the word, teasing them a little more, judging her tolerances and enjoying every little sound she made.

  I trailed a hand down, over her stomach, to where the zipper caught on her belt. I tugged at the buckle and her hands joined mine, quickly unfastening it and casting the belt aside to clatter on the floor.

  “Tool belt.” Her voice a breathy whisper, she trembled as I pulled the zipper down the rest of the way. With a couple of kicks she sent her boots flying, and I pulled the suit down her legs and cast it aside.

  Which left her naked aside from a scrap of fabric between her legs. I took a moment to look at her, to revel in the glorious, beautiful, marvelous body before me. My mate’s curvy figure was enough to drive any man wild, but it was more than that for me. The connection between us, the bond that tied us as mates, drew me to her as inexorably as gravity. Doubt melted from my mind like ice under a plasma torch.

  My lips brushed hers, hands caressing her lovely curves, and she moaned into the kiss. My tongue pressed to hers, and I thought my hearts would explode with joy.

  I kissed my way down her neck to her breasts, my tongue darting out to lick at her sensitive nipples, my teeth grazing them and getting a gasp of pure pleasure from her. Closing my lips around a nipple, I sucked and licked at it, and Khaa-Ree’s hands tugged at my pants.

  “Not yet,” I growled. She would have me, oh yes. But I would decide when.

  First, I wanted to show her pleasure.

  She didn’t hear, or didn’t understand, or perhaps simply didn’t obey. Hands caressing me through the leather of my pants, she stroked my cock and I groaned as it stiffened.

  Taking both her wrists in one hand, I pulled her arms above her head. My mate would learn to accept the pleasure I gave her, and I did not want her distracted.

  My metal hand slid over the smooth, soft fabric, pressing just hard enough to make her moan and struggle in my grip.

  Slightly more pressure brought a gasp and she arched her back, breath quickening. Closing my fingers on the waistband, I kissed Khaa-Ree’s neck, my lips and tongue making her moan and arch, and pulled. The scrap of fabric tore away from her sex, baring her pussy to me, and I slid a finger across its slick folds.

  A more urgent moan escaped her lips as she pressed herself to me, my fingers finding her sensitive clit and circling it, gently, slowly.

  Faster.

  Faster still.

  My mate panted, clutched at me, held me tight as I watched the pleasure rock her body. Pinning her with my free arm, I looked into her beautiful human eyes and brought my tail around, the tip teasing at her sex.

  I smiled and activated the vibration system, careful to keep the blade sheathed, and pressed it against her clit.

  Khaa-Ree jackknifed, her body going stiff as orgasm after orgasm rocked her. I didn’t let up, my fingers spreading her wide, tail against her clit. Screams of pleasure echoed, filling the room until she’d exhausted herself. Until she collapsed shivering and whimpering, against the insulation foam.

  Lying down beside her, I pulled her into a tight embrace, cradling her as she recovered. With an exhausted mumble, she slid her hand down to caress my cock, but I lifted her arm away.

  “No, beloved,” I told her. “Your time with that will come. For now, rest and sleep.”

  The cold touch of stasis was still in my bones, the fighting had taken a toll, and I needed to recover. I would not take my mate until I was at my best — she deserved no less.

  9

  Carrie

  Exhausted, I drifted in a pleasant haze as I lay against Delkor’s chest, his twin heartbeats lulling me to sleep. His arm around my shoulders held me tight, and I felt warm and safe in his embrace. My eyes closing, I drifted off to sleep.

  A scream woke me. I jerked upright, eyes wide, trying to remember where I was. All around me chaos reigned.

  The scream came from the throat of a Drall, his torso sliced open by Delkor’s bladed tail. He wasn’t alone.

  Drall and insect-like Chrichri mercenaries crowded through the doorway, facing off against Delkor. The syndicate had tracked us down while we slept, almost taking us by surprise.

  Thank god Delkor slept lighter than I did. My alien lover snarled at our enemies, tail flashing, claws gleaming. Bright flashlights cast stark shadows around the darkened room, giving the scene the look of a painting. One of those old renaissance masterpieces, beautiful colors and ugly people caught the moment before a fight.

  Syrcen stood behind his men, his furious face wrapped in bandages and clutching a plasma gun. One glance at him tore away any hope that he’d forgive and forget. This was a Drall out for blood.

  “Human,” he hissed, glaring at me. “My business is with the Caibar; you can still walk away. Just give me what I want and you’re free to go.”

  Yeah, of course you’ll just let me go, asshole. Sure. The rage in Syrcen’s voice and the tension in his muscles told another tale entirely. He only needed me for the coordinates of the Golden Duke Lyian and the other Caibar he believed were there. Once he had them he’d kill me if I was lucky, sell me to slavers if I wasn’t.

  Not that it mattered. I had no more Caibar to bargain with. As soon as he discovered that, Syrcen would skin me alive. Possibly literally.

  I answered with a single raised finger, only afterward remembering that he wouldn’t understand the gesture.

  Delkor growled at the surrounding attackers, crouching low and ready, unmoving. His stillness seemed more dangerous than any threat. Claws extended from his hands, and the low rumble of his growl made the deck shake under me.

  But he didn’t leap to attack.

  Earlier, he’d cut through five Drall without a thought, but this many enemies gave him pause. Or maybe he didn’t want this much blood on his hands.

  I backed away, pressing myself against the wall furthest from the door. Whatever happened next, I didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire. Away from the standoff, I glanced to my left, at the torn wall and the maintenance tunnel beyond.

  The syndicate thugs focused their attention on Delkor. And Delkor? He’d run me down instantly… if he was willing to his back on the enemy.

  This was my first real chance to escape. In might also be my last. The girls were waiting for me, they’d be frantic by now. If I stayed away too long, Michaela might do something stupid. No, she would do something stupid: if she wasn’t already on her way to try rescuing me from the syndicate, it was only a matter of time.

  The others would follow her lead. I wished they’d flee the station, but there was no chance of that. My friends wouldn’t leave me behind, so I couldn’t abandon them either.

  No matter how much I liked Delkor, I couldn’t bring him back to the others either. Sure, he wanted to take care of me, but how would he react to the rest of my crew? Best case, he’d take over, and that wouldn’t go well. Worst case… I didn’t want to think about that.

  Sorry, Delkor. You’re not like the other men, the ones I left Earth to avoid. Dangerous, sure, but kind too in your own way. You saved me, you protected me, and you looked after me.

  It doesn’t hurt that you’re the sexiest damned man I’ve ever seen, and an amazing lover too.

  And now I’m going to abandon you to your enemies. Fuck my life.

  Grabbing my boots and tool belt, I slipped through the hole in the wall and padded a few steps into the dark. My plan was la
ughably simple, barely qualifying as a plan. Tiptoe into the darkness, get a few turns between me and anyone who might follow, then put on my boots and run. Hope I didn’t step on any rusty nails before that. And pray that the tunnel took me somewhere with power.

  I can do it. I’ve had plenty of practice finding my way around powered-down wrecks in the last few months. Sure, that was true, technically. The difference was that then I hadn’t been alone, and I’d had a suit with supplies and a radio. Here, I was in a much bigger space with no tools at all.

  Refusing to listen to my doubts, to the nagging voice in my mind, I had to press on. Sure, there’d always been at least one of the girls with me to help find my way out, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do it alone if I had to.

  A bright flash lit up everything, casting stark shadows ahead of me. I ducked instinctively as the roar of a plasma gun washed over me like thunder.

  Followed by a bellow from Delkor. The battle had begun, and if I wanted to escape I had to go now.

  Instead, I froze. Delkor was tough, fast, deadly. But the odds were against him, and that plasma gun? That was military tech, and one hit would finish even him. I shuddered at the idea of Delkor dead, and to my horror realized I wanted to go back and help him fight.

  My heart felt hollow, empty, as I blinked away the afterimages of the flash. Thoughts raced through my mind like lightning — he’d done nothing but help me, protect me, and he was willing to stand up to Syrcen for me.

  And I repaid him by running away and leaving him to fight. That wasn’t right, and I wouldn’t do it. I looked over my shoulder and saw Delkor backing away, ducking this way and that as the enemy tried to pin him in place for a second shot. A hole glowed in the wall by his head, big enough to crawl through.

  “Fuck it all,” I said under my breath, before leaping back into the doorway and shouting: “Hey you assholes, I’m over here!”

  Not sure if that was enough, I followed it up with the only weapons I had to hand. My boots sailed across the room, one flying over the gang’s heads. The other hit Syrcen’s wounded face with a resounding crunch. He howled, swinging around to face me, and the terrible muzzle of the plasma gun rose towards me.

  Everything slowed down, as though we were swimming through honey. I tried to duck out of the way, certain I’d be too slow. Bright blue energy glowed in the depths of the gun’s barrel, ready to explode out and tear me in two.

  And Delkor moved. While everyone else was in slow motion, he had the speed of a pouncing tiger. Knocking aside the thugs between him and Syrcen, he roared a challenge and struck. The long claws of his metal hand cut deep, slicing through Syrcen’s arm at the elbow.

  The plasma gun dropped away, a thunderous boom filling the air as the shot burned a hole in the floor. Other gangsters, distracted by my sudden entrance, didn’t have time to turn back to face Delkor before he tore through them.

  It was like watching a dance, if every movement ended with a spray of blood. Delkor’s savage brutality was tempered with a swift and deadly grace, but there were still too many of the enemy.

  None brave enough to stand against him though. Before I drew a breath, they scattered, fleeing the ballet of death and destruction. Most ran back the way they’d come, some straight at me. But none even tried to attack, wild panic in their eyes and only one thought on their minds.

  Syrcen ran with his men, cursing loudly while blood pumped from the stump of his arm. But he wasn’t quite out of tricks yet. As he fled, he looked over his shoulder and snarled, tossing something into the room.

  Delkor’s reaction was instant. Before the object hit the ground, he had me in his arms and threw me into the hole the plasma gun had cut into the floor. I squealed, tumbling into the darkness, and a moment later Delkor followed.

  The ground hit me with a bone-shaking thud, my best effort to roll with the impact still leaving me winded and bruised. Delkor landed over me, soft as a whisper, his body blocking my view of the hole.

  “What the hell—“ I started, only for a deafening boom to interrupt me. A flash of light hurt my eyes, so bright that I cried out despite Delkor shielding me.

  A wave of pressure followed, knocking the wind out of us both. If we’d still been in the room above, we’d be dead. Even as it was, my ears rang and I blinked to clear my half-blind eyes.

  Delkor’s body pressed against mine, and with my other senses damaged I clung to him like a rock. All thought of escaping him vanished, evaporated in the explosion’s heat.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, the ringing in my ears drowning my voice. “Sorry I tried to run. That was a mistake, and I won’t do it again.”

  I didn’t know if he heard me any more than I did, or whether he’d understand. But he growled something in response, a noise I didn’t so much hear as feel. If there were words, I didn’t recognize them.

  I didn’t need words to understand what he was saying. Between the rumbling growl and his powerful embrace, I knew exactly what he meant: ‘Damned straight you won’t, woman. You’re mine.’

  And somehow that made everything feel better.

  Eventually the blinding afterimages faded, and my sight returned to normal. Delkor rolled aside, growling again, and this time I heard him. Good, no permanent damage from the explosion.

  Above us, through the hole, the room we’d come from burned. Whatever that grenade had been, it certainly was effective. Blue-white fire shone an eerie, flickering light down at us, and despite the distance its heat warmed my skin.

  That settles it, we’re not going back that way. Not that I wanted to — our enemies were up there, waiting. Down here, we might run into anything — or have a quiet walk back to the hanger bay.

  We’re due some good luck, right? I wished I believed it would work out that way.

  I turned back to Delkor, found him facing away from me into the darkness. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.

  I thought we’d both escaped injury, but his back proved me wrong. Blue skin blistered and blackened by heat and radiation, flesh pierced by shrapnel, blood dripping from his wounds. Any of those injuries would have killed me, and he’d suffered them all to keep me safe. Kept his body between me and the blast without complaint, sheltered me until he was sure the danger had passed.

  Torn between horror at the wounds and awe at his protection, I tried to think of something to say. Something to express my gratitude for the protection he’d offered, to show I was thankful for his sacrifice.

  “You’re hurt.” Great, Carrie. Yep, that’s a line that’ll go down in history. My cheeks heated and I bit my lip. “Thank you.”

  He turned, eyes glinting in the light of the flames above. His expression was… strange. Unidentifiable emotions flickered across Delkor’s face too fast to follow. Alien emotions? Things a human would never feel?

  Or was Delkor just good at keeping his emotional privacy? I’d have to get to know him better to tell. That didn’t sound like a bad thing.

  “We go,” he said, pointing into the dark. I shook my head, watching him frown.

  “Not until we’ve dressed those wounds,” I told him. God alone knew what infections someone might pick up in this place, and besides it would let me repay a tiny amount of the debt I owed him.

  My belt still held the first aid kit I carried everywhere. Great news, except it was meant for humans, not for Caibar warriors. Still, it had to be better than nothing.

  Delkor looked at me, then up at the flames. Impatient to get moving, away from the path our enemies would take to follow us. But when I glared and hefted a can of SpraySkin, he sighed and nodded.

  Up close, his wounds looked even worse. The kit’s autodoc took one look and gave up — every reading was strange, and it couldn’t decide what was wrong with him, flickering between different diagnoses. It recommended immediate evacuation to a hospital.

  “Yeah, great, we’ll do our best,” I muttered to the useless computer and shut it off. There was no hospital on the station, only some clinics run b
y doctors whose job prospects elsewhere had dried up. Even if we reached one, I wouldn’t trust any of them to treat Delkor’s wounds. We were on our own, at least until I got him to the Ladies’ Choice and Jen’s sickbay.

  The antiseptic wipes must have stung like hell, but Delkor didn’t flinch once. His gaze focused on the fires above, he sat still as a statue and let me work. Once I’d cleaned his wounds as much as possible, I tried to close them.

  SpraySkin stuck to him, thank goodness. I emptied the can covering his injured back, the skin tone weird against his. It was cheap stuff and didn’t match any particular human skin color well either, but on Delkor the pale pink patches stood out like tiger stripes.

  When the can rattled empty I stepped back to look at my handiwork. It ought to hold, at least until Jen could do something better.

  “Okay, big guy,” I said, patting his shoulder. “We can go now. Let’s see if we can find our way to my ship.”

  Delkor didn’t need to be told twice, standing taking my hand. The darkness embraced us again as we headed into the station, and I wondered if he knew where he was taking me.

  10

  Delkor

  My mate almost died. The thought would not leave my mind, would not leave me alone. If she had, if the Drall had killed her, it would have been my fault. The enemy, whoever they were, had almost snuck up on me in the darkness while I lay recovering.

  Weakened by the long sleep in stasis, I hadn’t woken until it was almost too late. Even awake, I’d come close to failing her twice.

  There will not be a third, I swore to myself.

  My doubts about her had faded. Khaa-Ree didn’t behave as though she’d hijacked my instincts, as though she controlled me. Either the Imperial implants had messed up my ability to recognize my mate… or this was real. I wasn’t sure which possibility frightened me more.

  Holding Khaa-Ree’s hand in mine, I guided her into the dark. It took an effort to keep my speed down; in my frustration, I’d pull her off her feet if I wasn’t careful.