A Claim for Calix: A Sci Fi Alien Romance (Tallean Mercenaries Book 4)

by Lynnea Lee

  Emma smacked into his leg hard and inhaled sharply. She put her hand up to her bruised face. The tang of fear magnified her weird scent. Cal put a hand down to rub her shoulder.

  “Glanced right off us, my sweet. We are safe. But hold onto my leg, so you don’t get bashed around. I don’t want to add any more bruises to your pretty face.”

  Emma looked up at him with wide grey eyes and nodded.

  “The fool brought it on himself.” Zeylum shook his head. “Open fire.”

  “About time!” A grin spread on Calix’s face at Zeylum’s words. He aimed the ship's weapon and fired back at the vessel. Another spark of light zoomed towards them, but Calix maneuvered to dodge a second shot. Emma clutched his calf harder. His shot hit its mark with a shower of light and sparks.

  “Oh yeah! Let’s watch the asshole burn!”

  Cal repositioned the Defiant between the two merchant ships again. As much as he wanted to blow the attacking ship to pieces, Cal knew that their main mission was to protect their mark.

  “Open comms, voice only.” Tanith did, and Zey warned, “This is not a fight you want to start. We are well-shielded and well-armed. And I have no qualms with destroying your ship and parting it out.” Then to Cal, “Hit them again.”

  “I’d love to.” Cal aimed at the attacker and fired again, purposefully hitting a nonvital part of the ship. He couldn’t stop the gleeful laugh that escaped his lips. He loved shooting at things and watching them go boom. Next time, if the merchant didn’t take the hint and flee, he would aim for something important, something that made a bigger boom.

  After a brief pause, the ship turned and accelerated away.

  “Aww, he doesn’t want to play! I was hoping he was stubborn and suicidal. That’s too bad.”

  That was when Calix scented it again. The faintest trace of the most promising perfume he had ever smelled. Maybe he was wrong about Emma. Maybe it was possible that she was his mate. He turned and stared at Emma with lust in his eyes

  Chapter 6

  Damn! Calix was hot when he was in his element. Emma licked her lips as lust rolled over her for the third time today. Before meeting Calix, she hadn’t been turned on in an awfully long time. The birth control shot had lowered her libido; it was one of the unexpected side effects. And by lower, she meant it was non-existent.

  Back on Earth, she had often joked that the shot worked by simultaneously turning off her sex drive and making her an emotional bitch. Who would want to sleep with that? Tadaa! Conception denied. Super effective!

  The whole time she had been away from Earth, she had no reason to be turned on. She hadn’t missed her wayward libido. But today, after months of living as dry and parched as a desert, she had flared to life three times because of Cal. First, briefly in the transport. Then in the shower. Emma bit her lip at the memory of Cal expertly teasing an orgasm from her. And now, as she watched him shoot at the enemy ship

  Calix turned to stare at her, a heated look taking over his green eyes. She squeezed her legs together, hoping the other aliens on the bridge wouldn’t smell her sudden and rare state. Calix certainly had. A growl vibrated from his chest.

  Emma backed away, suddenly feeling awfully small. Cal stood from his pilot’s seat and stalked towards her, all scary predator and sexy male. She knew she should be accommodating. It had been drilled into her ever since she left Earth, but something primal in her told her to run, and run fast. She fought the impulsive urge to flee but lost. Her feet took on a life of its own, and she dashed down the hall, her heart pounding erratically in her chest.

  She didn’t get far. She was never much of a runner, and Cal was fast.

  Cal caught her, tossed her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing at all, and strode to his room. A rough hand palmed her ass, giving it a hard squeeze.

  He dropped her in the middle of his bed and crawled over to bury his face into her neck. Then he froze.

  “I don’t understand.” Cal looked as confused as she felt. “I could swear you were perfect just a moment ago. Everything I was looking for, but—”

  “But I’m not. I don’t smell right,” Emma finished for him. Cal had stopped right after smelling her neck. Her strange smell was back to haunt her.

  Emma understood better now what Cal was looking for. He was looking for a female that could play the part of a partner flawlessly. Like Mia was for Arus. Both her actions and her scent would betray her. She was damaged goods. Even if her scent slowly faded to normal when the effects of the shot faded, she doubted she could ever reprogram herself to not think like a Dominion slave.

  Panic suddenly filled her head. What if Cal didn’t want her. What if he dropped her off at the next station or sold her to the next brothel? What if he abandoned her? The desperate words rushed out before she could process them.

  “I could be good to you. I’m sorry I ran. I’ll be good now. I promise.”

  “Hush. Calm.”

  “Please do not sell me. I know I smell bad, but I’ll be good to you.” She sounded so hopeless and broken, and it hurt her to hear the words coming from her own mouth. This is what the Dominion had turned her into. A crying mess, begging to be kept as a slave. Emma was ashamed.

  “Calm, female. You do not smell bad.” Calix pulled her into his towering form again.

  “I smell off. I know I do.”

  The look of concern on his face was honest. Cal was not the same as the other males she had met. Emma had to remember that.

  He held her, calming her, and Emma’s panic faded. It was hard to stay panicked and scared when Calix held her so gently and showed so much concern. He nuzzled at the side of her neck, a soft rumbling purr coming from his chest.

  Emma didn’t want to let the moment slip away. Cal had been turned on, and he had wanted to mount her. If it weren’t for her scent, he probably would have done so already. Emma hadn’t been so turned on for a long time, and for once, she wanted to take things further. She wanted to explore this newfound sexuality. Taking a big breath, she gathered her courage and took charge.

  She reached for the bulge at the front of his pants. He was still half-hard. Good. She rubbed at him through the fabric, and his cock roared to life.

  “Ah, fuck.” Calix sucked in a breath. “You don’t have to.”

  “But I want to.”

  Cal was a good male, and Emma wanted to stay on this ship. None of the females were damaged here, and they all looked happy. And she knew that Cal could make her happy too. She needed to prove that she could do the same for him.

  But more importantly, Emma wanted to touch him. He was the first Tallean she had actually wanted. She undid the front of his pants and took his erection into her hands. Cal was huge.

  “You don’t have to do this because you think I might leave you otherwise.” Cal’s voice was strained, and the muscles on his neck clenched as if he was trying hard to restrain himself. “I want you to touch me because you want me, not because you think you have to.”

  Emma reached for Cal’s face and looked him directly in the eyes, just as her past owner had told her never to do. Honesty shone on his face. Cal really did care about her. This was not her old owner. Emma didn’t just want to touch him; she was eager to. And not just to prove she was useful either, but because he turned her on.

  “I do want to touch you. You are the first Tallean I’ve wanted to touch.” She looked down shyly. “You are the first person to turn me on in a long time. And I admit, I’m curious about you. I want to get to know you.”

  His eyes softened, and he smiled at her. “Then explore and sate your curiosity, my sweet. I’m all yours.”

  Her eager hands touched his swollen cock. The skin was soft and velvety smooth, despite how hard it was. A small hard ridge separated the head from the shaft. She ran her fingers over it, and Cal shuddered.

  Leaning over, she engulfed the head of his cock with her mouth, savoring the clean, musky maleness. Her hands continued their explora
tions down his length to his balls, which were smooth and velvety as well.

  “Fuck! Ah, fuck.” Cal’s hands unclenched the sheet they were gripping onto and reached for her.

  She hummed as his fingers threaded into her hair and gripped her tight, moving her mouth up and down his cock. She took him as far down her throat as she could, almost choking on it. Unlike all the times she had gone through the motions and learned to feel nothing, excitement sparked not just in Emma’s body, but in her mind. She felt alive, present, and excited. This was sexy as hell!

  Cal grunted as he fucked her mouth.

  “Your mouth is so good, my sweet. Fuck.”

  At his words, the tiny spark already hiding at her center ignited and set her aflame. Emma reached down to touch herself and found herself wet. Not dripping as she used to be before she started taking the shot, but wetter than she had been in a while.

  “Good girl! Play with yourself for me.”

  She touched herself as she stroked him up and down with one hand and moved on him with her mouth. Emma had wanted to continue, but Cal pulled her away as he came. His seed shot out onto the floor. The tip of his cock, still wet from her mouth and his release, glistened, and Emma leaned in to give it a lick. It was sweet and salty. Cal groaned, and Emma revelled at the sense of power she had over him.

  She looked up at him. Half closed green eyes looked back at her. But Cal was not done. She had almost forgotten, Talleans could keep going after release. He grabbed the tank top she wore as a dress and ripped it over her head. Then, he flipped her over and pulled her hips up.

  He was going to fuck her right now! Despite her excitement, a sense of dread pushed through her consciousness. It had been in this position that many Tallean males had pushed her away, commenting on her scent. It had been a blessing. What if Cal did the same thing? She was suddenly very self-conscious. Her blessing had become a curse.

  Then, her fears came to life, as Cal released her hips, threw on his pants, and stomped out of the room.

  Calix wanted Emma’s attention for the right reason, not because she thought she had to prove she was useful to him. When she had declared that he was the first Tallean she had wanted to touch and the first to turn her on, Cal had wanted to roar in triumph. And when she’d put her mouth on him, all sense disappeared from his head. She had reacted so well to his encouragement, and for a moment, everything snapped into place. And Cal swore he had found his mate.

  But when he had flipped her over, she had frozen. The acrid scent of panic drifted up from her, making him cringe. What. The. Fuck. He had read her wrong, after all. Cal had thought she was enjoying their time together. She had scented of lust while she had touched herself. Now, she reeked of dread and panic.

  Guilt shamed him. Emma had spent time as a slave. She was probably traumatized, and certain positions or actions triggered it, like when Cal had stopped her from touching him in the shower. She had turned robotic as if it was a chore. The same thing could be happening now.

  Cal could not continue. It felt as though he was using her, and that didn’t sit well with him. Cal needed to be patient, court her slowly, and not take more than she was willing to give.

  Something was stopping her from staying turned on, and Cal needed to fix it before he went too far.

  Cal forced his fingers to relax, and he cringed at the marks where his hands were. He was hurting her. He needed to get away from Emma fast before he did something for which he would never forgive himself.

  Pulling on his pants, he ordered her to stay.

  A few doors over, he opened the door to the spare room. He didn’t trust himself not to do something atrocious if Emma stayed with him tonight. She would be safer from him here. He pushed the crates to the side so that the bed was free, and then dug around the closet for a blanket and some pillows.

  He returned to his room and grabbed the first article of clothing of hers that he saw, the shift dress from the Meeting Ground. More shame filled him. He hadn’t even ordered clothing for her yet. But this would have to do for now.

  “Raise your arms.” He popped the shift over her head. “It would be better if you stayed in the spare room.”

  Panic filled her eyes before the last word even left his mouth.

  “Please don’t be angry, Cal. Please, don’t sell me.” Tears filled her eyes.

  Stars! She was crying again because she thought he would sell her. Cal kept forgetting that unlike the other females on the Defiant, Emma had spent time as a slave and still thought herself as one no matter how many times he told her otherwise.

  “Never!” Cal held her to his chest and stroked her hair, calming her. “If you believe that I would sell you, then I have not done my job as your protector well enough. I’m not abandoning you, and I still want you. I just don’t trust myself not to hurt you. If I hurt you, I’d never forgive myself. Do you understand?”

  She stared down at her feet and nodded.

  “Come. I’ve set up the spare room. You’ll get some privacy.” And safety from me, he added mentally.

  Without a word, she followed him over to her new room.

  “Get some rest. I’ll come to see you in the morning.”

  And Cal left before he could do anything stupid.

  He found himself alone in the training room. He needed something to keep his mind off Emma, but there was nobody to train with. Maybe some missions on the training simulator would help.

  When Zeylum had first brought Ashe onto the ship, he had hidden in the training simulator for hours in an attempt to avoid facing their problems. Calix had cringed at his friend’s actions. Who was this cowardly stranger, and where was his captain? But now, Cal understood Zey’s actions.

  The simulator was an investment they had made early on to the ship, and it had more than paid for itself. They often invested in new scenarios and missions to keep the crew entertained. Mission ranged from realistic ones to those of pure fantasy. Vore, for example, often chose to slay wild and mythical beasts and rescue pretty females. Though since he found his mate, Lettie had posed as the female being rescued. She often rewarded him for his efforts while still in the simulator. And Ashe and Zeylum had settings they used when they wanted a romantic evening together.

  Since the females had joined the ship, the simulator had worked overtime to provide not just training to the males, but entertainment for their mates as well.

  Cal usually preferred to do group missions with Tanith or Vosken. But neither were here, and the AI teammates were no fun. He decided to go for a melee fighting ring series instead. The simulator would throw opponent after opponent of increasing difficulty at him until he lost. Currently, Vore had the highest score, and Cal intended to beat it.

  He strapped on the sensor embedded suit—complete with caps to prevent his claws from destroying everything—took a melee weapon controller, and entered the simulator. The surrounding shimmered, and Cal found himself in a fighting cage. The weapon controller morphed into a simple knife.

  He tucked the knife into his belt. Given the choice between fighting with his talons or a knife, he preferred the mobility of his claws. He would use the knife only as needed.

  In front of him snarled his first opponent. The fight was on. Vore would be extremely disappointed when he checked the high scores the next morning.

  Chapter 7

  The door to her room opened, and Emma looked up from the tangle of sheets at who had entered her room.

  “Oh!” exclaimed a tiny woman with dark, shiny waist-length hair. She’d been in the lounge when Cal first brought Emma onto the ship. “I didn’t know you were staying here. I thought you’d be staying with Calix. I’m Lettie.”

  Emma tried to hide the fact that she had been crying all morning after waking up alone in her room. She was a cry baby, and she knew it. She smiled awkwardly at the newcomer. “I’m Emma.” It didn’t work.

  “Are you okay? Why are you crying?” The woman rushed to the side of her bed
, pulled Emma up and from her slumped position, and put an arm around her shoulders.

  “I’m fine,” Emma lied. The last thing she needed right now was to deal with a social situation. As if she wasn’t awkward enough normally.

  “Hell no, you are not!” The woman didn’t let go. “Did Cal do something to you?”

  Emma shook her head. Cal didn’t do anything. That was the problem.

  “You want me to believe that? You suck at lying, you know. I don’t even have the Tallean sense of smell, and I could sense your lies.”

  Emma sniffed and laughed at the same time. “I know.”

  “If I bring out the chocolate, will you tell me what’s wrong?”

  Chocolate? Did she hear that correctly? Emma was horrible at socializing or sharing her feelings, but she would do it for chocolate. She hadn’t had chocolate in months. “Chocolate?”

  Lettie grinned. “I knew that would get you to open up. That’s why I’m here. This is the chocolate room.” Lettie rummaged through the crates that were pushed over to the side of the room. “What the—” She brought out a familiar gold box, but continued to dig through the crate some more, a little more frantically this time. “Are you fucking kidding me? Someone hid the rest of the chocolate! Ooh, if I find out who it was—” She blew out an angry breath. “At least we still have the rest of this box.”

  Lettie opened the half-empty box of delicacies and held it out to Emma.

  “You weren’t kidding. We have chocolate!” Emma picked up a truffle and checked to see which one she got. Dark chocolate raspberry. She took a bite and moaned.

  “Finally! Another woman who checks the flavor before stuffing the whole thing into her mouth. Can you believe Mia and Ashe don’t check? They just take one and eat the whole thing. I’m not sure they even know what flavor it was after they are done.”

  “They don’t check which one it is? Blasphemous!” Emma laughed.

  “Now that you’ve been chocolated and chuckled, why don’t you let me know what’s wrong? Seriously, what did Cal do? Do we need to tie him down for you?”