A Promise for Vore: A Sci Fi Alien Romance (Tallean Mercenaries Book 3)

by Lynnea Lee

  Angie acted as though Lettie and Vore was a sure deal, and Lettie didn’t want to burst her bubble. As much as Lettie wanted it to be true, she also knew that it sometimes took time for mate bonds to form. Also, she wasn’t sure if Vore was the type to give up playing the field, but it was a risk Lettie was willing to take. She had spent too long nursing her wounds after her last relationship. Regardless of whether Vore formed a bond or not, he represented a vow to herself to take back her life.

  “I think we are on our last tree!” Angie exclaimed, rolling out her shoulders. She picked the last handful of amberberries and tossed them down into the tarp below. It rolled neatly into the nearly full bin.

  Lettie did the same on her branch and shuffled over to the ladder. She made her way down and then brought the ladder over to Angie’s tree. She propped it against the trunk and held it as her friend came back down to the ground.

  Together, they folded up the tarp and moved the bins filled with berries from under their trees towards the vehicle. Over the course of the harvest, they had accumulated almost ten large bins of berries. Each one was so heavy that it took both of them to push and shove it along the ground.

  “How are we going to get so many bins back to the colony?”

  They had brought in the bins stacked together and strapped on the roof of the off-road vehicle. But with all the containers filled, it was many times the volume the vehicle could hold.

  Holden was one step ahead of her. He pulled out a folding trailer and hitched it to the back of the vehicle. Vore lifted each bin, which had given Lettie and Angie so much difficulty, easily up onto the trailer, and Holden strapped them in place. They would have to drive much slower than they had on the way here, but they would make it.

  Lettie thought of the drive into the forest just a few short days ago, and how Vore had held her to his body the whole way here. She felt like a different person now. A few days ago, she was afraid of Vore’s touch, fearful of how it made her crave more. Lettie had felt betrayed by her own body every time it reacted to him. Now, she wished they had a few more days to see if a mate bond would form.

  And what if it did? Would she stay on the Defiant with Vore, like Mia planned to do with Arus? Mia had always wanted to travel. But Lettie’s life, before her capture from Earth, had been a boring one. Now, not only had she been in space, she had experienced living on another planet, and even shot at and killed a pack of alien predators. If Lettie had to be honest with herself, it was the most fun she had ever had.

  Growing up, Lettie was a bit of a tomboy. It helped to have two brothers. She spent every recess in elementary school on the monkey bars. And while it hadn’t helped her in her adult life back on Earth as a home goods product manager for a big department store, it had definitely helped her here. She had never felt more alive. Of course, the company she kept had a lot to do with it.

  Would she be willing to stay on the Defiant with Vore? If they were truly mates, and she could trust him not to play around, then yes, she decided.

  With Angie and Lettie taking down and packing away the tent and the two alien men doing the heavy lifting, packing up the camp went by fast. They were soon on their way back to the colony with their bountiful harvest. The combined weight of their equipment, the harvest, and the passengers proved just a smidgen bit too much for the vehicle, and it struggled across the terrain. Despite the slower ride, Vore still held her close to his body, and Lettie didn’t protest. She enjoyed the feeling of being cared for.

  As they approached the settlement, Vore leaned forward and spoke to Holden. They changed course, heading for the hangars.

  “We are dropping you and Vore off at the Defiant. He’s going to get you a new translator.” Lettie was glad to have Angie translating, but she couldn’t wait for some new ears. She wanted to understand Vore’s growls.

  “Thanks.” She squeezed Vore’s hand. He shot her a charming smile, and her heart did a little flutter. No smile in the universe should be that sexy.

  They arrived at the Defiant a few minutes later.

  “Your mission,” Angie said seriously, “should you choose to accept it, is to find and procure the legendary Earth chocolate from deep within the bowels of the Defiant.”

  Lettie giggled and hugged her friend. “Mission accepted! Next time you see me, I will come bearing chocolate.”

  She gave Holden a big hug, as well. Behind her Vore growled. It looked like someone was feeling possessive. That was a good thing, right? Didn’t Tallean males become possessive when they formed a mating bond?

  As the vehicle drove away, Vore picked her up and carried her bridal style towards the ship.

  “Hey! Put me down. I’m half blind and deaf, but my legs work fine.”

  Vore answered with something in that panty-wetting voice of his and continued to the hangar door. He elbowed a panel, and a voice came from the speakers. Vore answered, and the door opened, letting them into the hangar. The Defiant’s gangplank was down, and Vore strolled right up and into the ship with Lettie in his arms.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “I guess you changed your mind about Vore.”

  After replacing Lettie’s translator, Vore had left to take care of some business while the med bed had corrected her sight. Mia had met her after and gave her a tour of the Defiant. Lettie had been on board before during her rescue but had only stayed in the shared lounge. The ship was much bigger than she had thought.

  “We spent some time together, and well, one thing led to another, and yeah.” Lettie shrugged. “It was hard to stick to my guns.”

  “Tallean males do get very persuasive, don’t they?” Mia touched a panel next to the set of sliding doors, and they opened up, revealing a hidden paradise.

  “Wow!” Lettie’s jaw dropped to the floor as they walked into the ship’s greenroom. “Are you kidding me? This place is beautiful!”

  Lettie gawked at the lush floor to ceiling tropical paradise. The shipboard greenhouse was only about the size of a small apartment, but it was bursting with plant life. Every surface was covered in plant life, from the moss on the floor to the vines anchored to the false rock walls. It smelled green and earthy.

  “Right? It’s my favorite place on the ship!” Mia ducked under a vine. “There’s a hydroponic grow room next door as well. Arus has some herbs growing in there for his cooking, but he’s not a gardener, so it’s mostly unattended. Arus said that the greenroom helps improve our water and air quality. Usually, gardens like this are only found on large merchant ships or upscale passenger transports. Ships like the Defiant usually don’t have room for one.”

  “So why does the Defiant have one then.”

  “They modified the Defiant to run on a smaller crew than other ships of its type, and they converted the extra space into a greenroom and an improved training area. You should see the rock wall in there! They have a moving climbing wall!”

  The more Lettie learned of the Defiant, the more she realized that the crew saw it as home. Hadn’t Vore called the crew his family?

  They sat down on the bench.

  “I’m glad you gave Vore a chance. I know he had a player’s reputation. But he deserves a chance for a mate too. So I guess you are staying on board! I’m so glad to have a friend here!”

  Oops! It seemed Mia came to the same conclusion Angie had and thought they were already a unit. “No, no, I’m not his mate! I’m pretty sure it’s just a fling. It was just sex. Vore’s a ladies’ man, right? He’s not going to just form a bond that quickly.”

  Mia’s mouth dropped. “Uh oh.”

  “What?” A sinking feeling roiled in Lettie’s gut.

  “Have you talked to Vore since you had your translator replaced?”

  “A few words, but he had something to do, so he left me in the med bed. And then you came in.”

  “And when did your translator malfunction? Was it before or after the first time you had sex?”

  The bench she was sitting on vib
rated, and the ship rumbled to life.

  “What the fuck is going on? Why are we moving?” Lettie had an idea, but she refused to believe it.

  Mia repeated her question. “Translator malfunction. Before or after the first time you had sex?”

  “Before? Why?” Why was Mia so intent on that point? And why did it feel like the ship was about to take off?

  A voice came over the PA, asking everyone to sit down and strap in for liftoff.

  “What the fuck! Liftoff?” Lettie looked around wildly for the exit.

  “Lettie! Sit and strap in.” Mia pointed to the straps that Lettie had not realized were attached to the bench.

  Lettie ignored her and ran to the door. She pushed on the button on the panel, but the door remained closed.

  “You won’t be able to open the door. It remains shut during takeoff.”

  “During takeoff? What do you mean, it remains shut during takeoff.? Why are we even taking off? I need to get back home.”

  “The sneaky bastard!” Mia’s temper flared. “I thought you knew we were leaving. I thought you agreed to stay with Vore on the ship!”

  “Stay with Vore on the ship?” Lettie felt silly, repeating the last words Mia had just said, but no other words came to her head.

  “He left to get your things from your room at the colony. He must have just gotten back. They were waiting for him to come back for takeoff.”

  “He what?” Lettie took a deep breath. She was on the Defiant, and it was lifting off.

  “You said your translator stopped working before you had sex?”

  “Yes! What does that have to do with anything?” The ship rumbled again and moved slowly to the side. They must be leaving the hangar. Mia handed her the straps, and Lettie reluctantly strapped herself to the padded bench.

  “And did you tell Vore once that you won’t sleep with anyone unless you were serious about them?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, at least he wasn’t lying about that part.”

  “I was trying to dissuade…oh shit.” Realization crashed over Lettie as her own words echoed and bounced in her head. “I told him I wouldn’t sleep with anyone I wasn’t serious about, and then I slept with him. He believes I’m serious about him! Oh shit!” She reached to take her glasses off, a habit she had when stressed, but her hands reached nothing. It was going to be a while before she got used to having perfect vision. She put her face in her hands instead. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.”

  “So, you aren’t serious about him?” Mia looked disappointed.

  “I was trying to learn how to separate sex and love, and Angie suggested trying it out with Vore. Besides, I was practically killing myself, resisting him. But I promised myself I wouldn’t go for that type anymore.” She twisted a strand of her hair nervously as a sense of panic started in her chest. If she were stuck here with Vore, she would fall for him for sure! And when the bond refused to form, she would be devastated.

  “Not even if he’s a Tallean and has formed a bond with you?”

  “A bond? Did he say that?”

  Mia frowned. “Now that you mention it, no. He just said that you are staying with him.”

  “So, I could be only on board because he thinks I’m fun for now?”

  “Shit.”

  The ship rumbled again, but this time it didn’t stop. Acceleration pushed Lettie back into her seat. She realized that she was stuck on the Defiant, on her way up to space. And she was stuck with Vore.

  “You want me to do what, Vore?” Calix, the temporary captain of the Defiant, couldn’t believe the words he was hearing. “You want me to help you kidnap a human female from Reka 5? How am I supposed to explain this to Zeylum when he gets back from his honeymoon?” The real captain of the Defiant, Zeylum, was currently on his honeymoon with his new human mate, Ashe. Their vacation was perfectly timed as Zeylum had attracted too much attention from the Dominion and needed to lay low for a while.

  Vore had always been a bit reckless, and the crew of the Defiant had bailed him out of trouble numerous times. But taking a human female from Reka 5 was not something he had expected to have to do for his friend.

  “It’s not kidnapping if she’s my mate. Besides, Angie thinks Lettie is here by choice, and I’m going to convince Lettie to stay with me. Ryek will never hear of it. And even if he does, Holden is close friends with the director. He’ll smooth things out with him if word gets around that we took Lettie unwillingly.”

  Ryek was the colony director at Reka 5. Cal liked the male; he was fair but strict. Reka 5 was one of the few colonies on this side of the galaxy where slavery was forbidden. Ryek would not be impressed with Vore’s plan.

  Technically, Vore wasn’t taking Lettie unwillingly, just unknowingly. There was a difference. And Lettie was Vore’s mate. Cal’s face softened. Having been looking for his own mate for years, he knew how important it must be for Vore to keep Lettie around.

  “I remember talking to your Lettie during the rescue.” Cal had pretended to be interested in her just to annoy Vore. “She was certain she wouldn’t give you a chance because of your reputation. She was hurt before by another male. You are a good male, Vore. You deserve a chance.”

  Vore looked relieved. “Thank you. I owe you, Cal.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “Mia is giving her a tour of the ship. Arus sent her in not long ago.”

  Cal checked the feeds from the cameras and found the pair in the greenroom. “See, aren’t you glad I pushed for the greenroom? All the females love the place.”

  “She looks happy in there.” Lettie smiled at the screen, and Vore echoed it.

  “Yes,” Cal agreed. “Happy enough that I’m going to say she wants to be here. It’s not kidnapping if she’s happy, right?”

  “It’s not kidnapping if she’s my mate.”

  “Right.” If Cal found his mate, he was sure he would lie, cheat and beg to keep her with him. A mating bond could be not denied without dire, lifelong consequences.

  Cal sent out a private comm to the crew. Once he confirmed that everyone was on board, he gave the signal to the hangar attendants and started the engine.

  On the screen, Lettie looked around, confused.

  He flipped on the PA. “Alright, you sorry lot, we are lifting off momentarily. So sit your asses down and strap yourself in. This is your only warning before takeoff. Cal, out.”

  Lettie ran for the greenroom door, but Cal had locked everything tight before starting the engine. Even on the screen, Cal recognized the moment of panic as she realized they were taking off with her on board. Vore had a lot of groveling to do if he wanted Lettie to forgive him. He wished his friend the best.

  He steered the ship out of the hangar and into the sunlight. Beside him, Vore buckled in with a huge grin on his face. Cal hoped that one day he would know how it felt to find his own mate. And with that thought in his head, he accelerated the ship upwards. They punched through the atmosphere and into the freedom of space.

  Keeping her fingers crossed that she didn’t bump into Vore before Mia had the chance to hide her, Lettie followed Mia through the ship’s corridor and into the crew’s quarters. Lettie knew she would have to face Vore eventually, but she wasn’t ready yet. She needed some alone time to think. She needed a moment by herself. And a petty part of her wanted Vore to panic when he couldn’t find her the same way she had panicked when the Defiant lifted off.

  “Most of the ship is monitored with cameras, but unless Cal or Tanith gives Vore access, he won’t be able to check the records,” Mia explained. “That’s Vore’s room, there.” She pointed to a door off to the side. “I’m hiding you right next to it. It’s an unused room, and they mostly use it as storage.”

  “You are hiding me next door to him?”

  “Yup! You’ll be right under his nose.”

  Around the corner, a door opened, and Mia quickly slapped her hand on the door panel and pulled Lettie insid
e the room. The door closed quietly, and they both held their breath in the dark as footsteps neared.

  “I told Mia to leave her in your room. Good luck convincing her to stay.” Arus’s voice was easily recognizable.

  “Thanks.”

  They heard doors slip open. A moment later, Vore’s voice said, “She’s not in yet, but I smell her scent in this hallway.”

  “I smell Mia too, but she’s not in my room.”

  “We know they left the greenroom. Maybe they decided to visit the training area. I’ll go look for her.”

  Lettie held back a snicker. It looked like she got away for now.

  Once they were sure the two males were gone, Mia whispered, “I can’t wait to witness Vore’s freak out when he finds you missing. It was worth backtracking several times through different parts of the ship. Our scents are everywhere.”

  “I’ll just keep these lights off and use the small lantern if I need it. Even if Vore opens the door to check, the lights will be off, and he’ll think the room’s empty.”

  “He might be able to smell you if he opens the door, though.”

  Lettie had an idea. She took her tank top off and handed it to Mia. “Put this in the other storage areas. It’ll smell like me and throw him off.”

  “Might as well give me your pants, too. And this too.” Mia took her top off and shoved it into Lettie’s arms. “Rub it on your body, so it smells like you. In the meantime, I’ll find a blanket for you to wrap up in that has other scents on it.”

  She took off her yoga pants, so she was just in her undies and bra. It was almost a game at this point, and Lettie wanted to win. It distracted her from feeling upset at being bamboozled into staying on the ship. She was glad Mia was here, she had turned something angry into something playful.

  On a whim, Lettie gave her a big hug. “Thank you, Mia.”

  Mia hugged her back. “Anytime. I’ll even try to get Vore’s reaction on comm for you. He really should have given you a choice. It was selfish of him. Still, I know he must care for you a lot to steal you from Reka 5. I hope you two work things out soon.”