Claimed by the Alien Chief: A sci fi alien romance (Zocrone of the Seven Galaxies Book 1)

by Sloane Meyers

  “How can you say all of that? You don’t really know me all that well.”

  “I know you better than you think. That’s the funny thing about life-or-death situations. They show you who a person truly is at their core. And you, Nova, are brave. You do the right thing when it counts. I would be honored to have a woman like you by my side. And besides all of that, I can’t stop thinking of you naked. I hope that’s not too forward of me to say, but you and I are amazing in bed together. You can’t deny that.”

  Her cheeks turned pink in that adorable human way they did. “I…I guess I can’t deny that. That night we shared was pretty amazing.”

  Daxar’s heart filled with hope. He relaxed a bit, letting his spikes retreat back into his body. “So you’ll stay?”

  “I still don’t know. What will I do for work?”

  “We’ll find you something you love. There’s plenty to do around here, trust me.”

  “And what about my crew?”

  Daxar frowned. He’d been so caught up in convincing Nova to stay that he hadn’t thought about the fact that if her crew didn’t want to stay, she might not either. “They’re welcome to stay, too. We can find places for them here. And if they don’t want to stay I’ll give them whatever ships, money, or other resources they need to continue on smuggling without you.”

  Nova frowned. “They don’t need money. They need a captain.”

  “I’ll find them a new captain if I have to. One who will take good care of them. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make this work.”

  Nova considered this. “Okay. If you can make sure that my crew is taken care of, I’ll stay. I want to stay with you, and honestly I don’t love the smuggling life. It’s a dangerous hustle. But I’m a captain, just like you’re a Chief. I have a responsibility to take care of my crew. They have to come first.”

  Daxar’s heart leapt. “I understand. I promise you, I’ll figure this out. I’d do anything to have you stay here.”

  Nova smiled at him, a deep sultry smile that warmed him down to his bones. “I’d like to stay more than anything.”

  Daxar leaned in closer and kissed her lips, relishing their softness and warmth. She was so fragile and strong, all in one package. Her small human body made his protective instincts kick in. He wanted nothing more than to protect her. And yet, he admired how well she protected herself and her crew. She might be a member of one of the weaker species in the Seven Galaxies, but she herself was anything but weak.

  She yawned then, and Daxar laughed. “Is my kiss that boring?”

  “No! Not at all. Your kisses are amazing. It’s just that I’m so tired and sore still. We humans don’t heal up as quickly as you Zocronians do.”

  He brushed a stray strand of silky hair back from her face. “Rest. I’ll go start figuring out what we’re going to do about your crew. And trust me, I’m going to figure it out, because there’s no way I’m letting you leave me.”

  This seemed to please her. She smiled happily as she closed her eyes and settled deep down into her pillows. “Okay. Sounds good.”

  Within moments, she was asleep. Daxar leaned over and kissed her forehead. He could have lingered there all day, just staring at her perfect face. But if he wanted her to stay in Zocrone, he had a lot of work to do. Reluctantly, he stood and headed for the door.

  He was going to shake up as many things as he needed to so that his beautiful, perfectly imperfect Nova would never have to leave his side.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Can I look yet?” Nova asked, tempted to peek even though she’d sworn to Daxar that she’d keep her eyes closed and covered.

  “No! Don’t you dare. We’re almost there, I promise.”

  “Ugh, this is taking forever. Are we going to the complete other side of the city dome or something?”

  “Almost. But it’s worth it, I promise. Just a few more minutes.”

  “Walking around blindly isn’t my idea of fun. Especially when this is my first time walking outside of the med ward in a week.”

  “We’ll do plenty more walking with your eyes open after this. Just humor me for a few more minutes.”

  Nova huffed, but kept her eyes closed as she continued to let Daxar lead her through Zocrone’s streets. After a few more minutes of walking they finally came to a stop.

  “Ok. Now you can look.”

  Nova opened her eyes, then gasped at the sight in front of her.

  “Starburst!”

  She hadn’t asked for an update on the ship while she was recovering. She’d just assumed that work had either halted or was going slowly with so many things about the future so uncertain. But now, she was looking at a fully repaired cargo ship. The paint job had even been updated. It was the same midnight blue as before, but fresh and unscratched. And the word Starburst had been painted across the side in bold, silver letters that shimmered. Nova had never seen her ship looking so good.

  “Wow. It’s beautiful.”

  “Completely upgraded. We overhauled the bridge with brand new chairs and consoles. The engine got a complete overhaul as well. And the paint is the latest technology in thermal shielding. Should make flying in and out of atmospheres a breeze, even on the hottest of planets. Maisie approved everything.”

  “Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you like it?”

  Nova looked over at Daxar and almost had to laugh. His face, normally so stern and tough, looked completely vulnerable right now. He was obviously worried that she was going to find fault with some part of the ship. She hadn’t even seen the inside yet, but it didn’t matter. She already knew she would love it. This ship was her baby, and to see it all fixed up and looking brand new did her heart good. After the crash, she’d been worried it would never fly again. And yet, she didn’t understand why Daxar had been so keen on fixing it up when he’d been asking her to stay with him on Zocrone instead of heading back into the smuggling world. If she stayed here, she wouldn’t need a fancy cargo ship like this. Had he changed his mind?

  “I do like it. It’s perfect. But…”

  His face fell. “But what?”

  Nova fidgeted from one foot to the other. “It’s just that I thought you wanted me to stay here, in Zocrone.”

  He frowned, confused. “I do.”

  “Then why do I need a cargo ship? If I stay here my smuggling days are over.”

  Understanding dawned on his face. “No, no! I didn’t fix this ship up for you to go back to smuggling. I fixed it up because I have a job for you, if you want it.”

  “A job that requires a cargo ship?” Nova looked at him skeptically.

  “Yes. You see, Zocrone doesn’t have a lot in the way of natural resources, other than Zekkardite. That means we have to bring in regular shipments of many essential supplies. We have a few people here that do supply runs, but there aren’t many Zocronians who like flying around all that much. I often end up paying other aliens to do supply runs for me. I figured since you like flying, you and your crew could take on some of those runs. Only if you want to, of course.”

  Nova considered this. She’d often wanted to trade in her crazy, illegal smuggling life for something tamer, like carrying legal cargo. But she’d never been able to afford it. Most of those jobs didn’t pay well. But she had no doubt that Daxar would be willing to pay her well. She wasn’t the only one whose opinion mattered here, though.

  “And my crew? Have you talked to them about this yet?”

  Daxar nodded exuberantly. “Yes. They’re all excited about the idea, and about the possibility of settling down in Zocrone. They said you had to make the final call, though.”

  Nova smiled. Was all of this actually possible? It seemed too good to be true. She’d found a strong, fierce Zocronian who was crazy about her. She had a job that would allow her to leave behind the hustle of smuggling. And all three of her best friends would be staying here on Zocrone with her. She felt like she’d won the biggest lottery in the Seven Galaxies. “If my crew likes
the idea, then I’m in.”

  Daxar pulled her up in his arms and swung her around. “Yes! I was hoping you’d say that. This is the happiest day of my life.”

  Nova giggled as Daxar put her down. “I just hope I’ll do a good job for you.”

  “You will,” he said confidently. “If you can take on smuggling basestos, then doing supply runs should be no big deal. And like I said, you can do as many or as few as you want. There’s always Zekkardite to ship out or supplies to ship in, so you can definitely stay busy. I work in the Zekkardite mines myself several days a week, just so I stay on top of what’s going on down there. So I know from firsthand knowledge that there’s always plenty of the stuff to be delivered out to other planets. But don’t stay too busy. I want my fair share of time with you, too.”

  He grinned at her suggestively, and Nova felt a searing heat filling her core. She had only left the med ward today, but she’d been dreaming about the chance to be alone with Daxar since the moment she’d woken up after the asteroid collision.

  “I’m free all day today,” she said, batting her eyelashes up at him. “And probably tomorrow, too. Unless there’s an urgent supply run you need done.”

  He let out a low growl, his eyes darkening and filling with heat. “The supply runs can all wait. I have something else I want to show you. Do you want to finish looking at the ship before we go?”

  Nova would gladly have put off looking at the ship until later, but she didn’t want to appear ungrateful for all the hard work Daxar had put into it. So she compromised. “Let’s look at the ship quickly, and then get on with the other thing you wanted to show me.” She kept her voice low and flirty, and he growled at her again.

  “Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her toward the Starburst for a quick tour, but Nova was pretty sure he was just as eager to get on to the day’s next event as she was.

  * * *

  One hour later, Nova found herself in a remote corner of Zocrone’s city dome, staring up in awe at a giant waterfall.

  “Wow. This is not at all what I thought you meant when you said you had something to show me.”

  Daxar pretended to be shocked. “Oh? What did you think? That the only thing I have to show off is what’s underneath my pants?”

  Nova punched his arm playfully. Even when he was relaxed and just hanging out, the muscles in his arms felt like iron. She’d never known anyone as strong as him. She ignored his teasing question and asked a question of her own instead.

  “What is this place?”

  “My favorite place in all of Zocrone. And something of a secret. As you probably noticed, it’s not easy to get to. You have to cross through a lot of thick jungle, and there’s not really a clear path.”

  “So not many people know it’s here, I guess?”

  “Right. My father built it for my mother. She visited Mognerth once, which is a very water-heavy planet. There are a lot of waterfalls there, and she fell in love with them. So he surprised her by making her a waterfall of her very own.”

  “That must have been a lot of work.”

  Daxar shrugged. “It was, but it was worth it. My mom loved this place. She spent a lot of time here, and used to bring me here as a boy to swim. After she died, this was the place I felt closest to her. Over the years, it’s become a place I can come to when I need to clear my head. Being Chief can be stressful at times.”

  “But you manage it so well, when you’re not losing your temper.” Nova winked at him, and Daxar rolled his eyes.

  “Hey, I can’t help it if I’ve got a fiery personality. But anyway, I’ve never shared this place with anyone, not even Jarmuk or Toryx.”

  Nova looked over at him in surprise. “Why me? Why now?”

  He reached over to run a big blue finger down her face, as he so often did. She loved it when he touched her like that. “I always knew that when I found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, that I would bring her here. I will admit, there were many times that I wondered if it was ever going to happen for me. But when I found you I knew you were the one. I think my heart knew it long before my head. I have been far from perfect in the way I’ve handled our relationship. I’ve bungled things, and I’ve been a jerk. But I have never been anything less than amazed by you. You complete me in a way no one ever has. And that’s why I wanted to bring you here. I wanted to show you the place that means more to me than anywhere else in the Seven Galaxies.”

  Nova could feel her heart pounding in her chest. “You really mean that? You want to spend the rest of your life with me?”

  Daxar bent his chiseled blue face down until his eyes, dark with desire, were right in front of Nova’s. “Yes. The rest of my life. I love you, Nova.”

  Nova felt herself trembling as she looked up at him. She tried to steady her shaking body, but it was useless. The passion she felt for him filled her with so much energy that she couldn’t hold still. “I love you too.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but he heard her loud and clear. The smile that crossed his face was bright enough to light up the very darkest corners of the Seven Galaxies. He bent forward a few more inches to kiss her softly, then he pulled back and grabbed her hand.

  “Come on. Let’s swim.”

  “Dressed like this?”

  He grinned wickedly. “I was thinking more along the lines of not dressed at all.”

  Nova grinned back, already reaching to tear off her clothes. She tugged her shirt over her head, yanked her pants off, and could not get her underwear off fast enough. She wanted to be in that water with Daxar, feeling his rough blue skin against her soft human skin. She wanted to be one with him in his favorite place in all of charted space.

  Daxar was similarly eager, it seemed. Before Nova had even finished getting her clothes off, he was naked and running full speed toward the water. When he reached the edge of the thick grass that lined the edge of the water, he leapt high into the air. He pulled his muscular legs up to his chest and wrapped his tail around his body. With a loud whoop, he launched into the water cannonball style, just as Nova had done when she was a child back at the swimming pools on Earth.

  He popped back up a moment later, water droplets glistening on his hair and body. “Come on. The water’s great.”

  Nova moved more cautiously than he had. She wasn’t sure where the water was deep enough to cannonball in, so she walked from the edge of the grass. She found that the drop off was quite steep, and within a few feet the water was up to her chest. It was warm, too, and for a moment she closed her eyes and drank in the sensations that surrounded her: the warmth of the water and sun on her skin, the scent of tropical flowers that always filled the air in Zocrone, and the rushing sound of the waterfall, which wasn’t quite enough to drown out the constant chatter of the birds overhead. And then, there was the feeling of Daxar’s hands in hers.

  She opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her, grinning like the happiest man in the Seven Galaxies. The water was so clear that she could see all of him, even though his lower half was submerged. His erection stood stiff and proud, pointing hungrily toward her. She gazed at it unashamedly for several long moments. Why should she be embarrassed to look? He was hers, and she was his after all. She let her eyes linger on the thick, ridged shaft, and she felt a rush of electric desire run through her.

  He was staring at her, too. His eyes slid from her face, down to her neck, across her breasts and naval, and down to the soft mound of hair between her legs. His tail swished back and forth behind him, slicing effortlessly through the water as he expressed his appreciation for what he was seeing. Nova felt like her whole body was on fire under his gaze, and she suddenly wouldn’t have minded if the water around her was just a bit cooler.

  Her chest rose and fell with the effort of breathing in the presence of someone who left her so breathless, and her core trembled as she raised her eyes to met Daxar’s.

  “Dax.” Saying his name felt like singing a song that welled up from the deepest part of
her. “Dax, Dax, Dax.”

  He smiled, and tugged at her hand. “Come.”

  He pulled her over toward the waterfall. Its rushing noise grew louder the closer they got, until they were right next to it. Nova’s hair and face were getting wet just from its spray, and she blinked several times to clear her vision. Daxar stood before her like a blue god in the mist, his body so perfect that it almost hurt to look at. All of the years that Nova had struggled to make something of herself, and to feel worthy of someone’s affection, suddenly seemed like nothing. She knew now that she had always been waiting for him. And he had been worth waiting for.

  She was no longer the girl who ruined everything she touched. Because she had touched Daxar, and somehow, their relationship was not ruined. She had touched his city, and somehow, it was still intact. In that moment, staring at her big blue alien, she knew that she deserved this. She had tried her best to do right by Zocrone, by Daxar, and by her crew. Somehow, she had done that. With a sense of pride, Nova realized that she had proven that she could be a part of his world.

  And what a world it was. It sparkled and glistened around her, and then, Daxar pulled her in completely.

  He wrapped his strong arms around her, pressing his broad, muscular chest against her soft breasts and erect nipples, and putting his lips on hers. He pulled them both directly underneath the waterfall, and there, with the water raging down on them, soaking her hair completely, enveloping her completely, he pushed his tongue into her mouth.