by Calista Skye
Saved
By the Alien Alpha
By Calista Skye
***
Can an alien’s forbidden love with an Earth girl save humanity?
Ashley Carter is a fiercely independent Earth girl, with a big heart and a thirst for adventure. On a mission to save the world from itself, she’s committed to spreading a message that will change the world.
A’Jakri is the first officer of a T’Kali ship bound for Earth. Charged with evaluating humanity, he must determine whether they’re on the cusp of evolution or an existential threat to the galaxy that needs to be eradicated.
When A’Jakri discovers that his destiny is inextricably to Ashley through the lifemate bond, humanity’s fate becomes personal.
Getting mixed up with a sexy-as-hell alien wasn’t the adventure that Ashley had in mind. But when a freak accident threatens her life, A’Jakri beams her aboard the ship to save her. Will their forbidden love convince the T’Kali that Earth is worth saving?
Saved by the Alien Alpha is a stand-alone science-fiction romance with sexy aliens, a lovable heroine, and a deliciously steamy ending with no cliffhanger.
***
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Closing Notes
Chapter 1
Ashley
“Ashley.”
I heard his voice calling to me again, clearer than ever before. Strong, deep, and masculine. Comforting. A voice I knew I could trust. And I could feel the urgency of his plea.
Straining to make sense of the symphony of syllables that enraptured my mind and pulled me towards him, I focused on his voice and tried to silence the cascade of competing thoughts. Stay relaxed. Stay calm. Don’t tarnish the connection.
“I’m here!” I called to him inside my mind, but already I could feel the connection growing weaker. It was a difficult balance to maintain. Remaining focused on him required effort, but that effort pulled me further away. Keeping present required a special kind of loose awareness that didn’t come naturally to me.
“Ashley, you can do this. Just let yourself go and focus on my voice. You’re almost here. Let the scene be clear in your mind.”
I opened up and let him in. My eyes remained closed, but my vision grew vivid as the scene unfolded around me. Flashes of color and light swirled together like a Van Gogh before finally solidifying into a recognizable form.
I was in the cabin of a ship.
It was a small space, but the metal walls glowed with a soft white light that gave the room a sense of openness and comfortable luxury. I felt peaceful and safe.
“That’s it,” he said. His voice wasn’t coming from inside my head anymore. The man standing in front of me was well over six feet tall, and painfully sexy. My eyes lingered on his sculpted, athletic frame, taking in the sharp cut of his figure. I felt my heart thumping in my chest as I imagined his hands on me, knowing that if he was inside my mind he probably already anticipated my thoughts and felt my arousal. The strong lines of his face creased into a smile as my gaze met his radiant blue eyes. “You’re coming into focus. Try to stay with me.”
“Who are you?” I said. “What’s happening?”
“My name is A’Jakri,” he said, taking my hand in his. “But if it’s easier, you can call me Jak.”
“Jak.” I returned his smile. “I don’t understand what’s happening?” I said. “This feels more real than any dream I’ve ever had.”
“That’s because you’re not dreaming Ashley. Yes, your body is still resting safely back in your bed, but your mind is here with me. Aboard my starship, just outside of Earth’s orbit.”
“That’s sounds a little insane.”
Jak laughed, a warm and sonorous tone that put me at ease. “It does, doesn’t it?” Jak took a seat next to me on the bunk, moving in close to my body. The rush of desire that washed over me nearly overwhelmed me, but I managed to hold my breath steady, despite his proximity.
“Let me explain. Our link is still tenuous, so I’ll keep it short. We have more important things to talk about. For now, let’s just say that you and I have a connection. You’re here in the form of a quantum projection. You’ve probably heard of quantum entanglement.”
“Sure,” I said. “Quantum entanglement. Of course. What else could it be? I’m not a physics professor, Jak.”
“All you need to know is that the atoms and molecules of my mind are paired to yours. What happens to one is experienced in the other. I speak to you in my mind, and my brain fires off little electrical signals. The state of the atoms changes. And that change is replicated in your mind. What you’re seeing and you’re feeling right now work the same way. We’re connected.”
“You’re aboard a starship. And you’re sending me messages and visions.”
“Exactly.”
“In other words, I’m definitely dreaming. Because…no offense…that’s batshit.”
“It’s a lot to process. The important part is that you were able to tune into our connection. Most humans are never able to do it. Laying in your bed right now, your brainwaves are oscillating in a pattern that most people are never able to achieve. And if they do, they confuse it with dreaming. Your essence is more than your physical body, Ashley. Right now, your mind is both relaxed and focused. The high concentration of theta activity lets you see what’s going on right now, hear my words. That’s what gives it the dreamlike feel. But you’re also producing a high concentration of alpha waves, which means that you’re still aware and conscious. You have control of your thoughts and your actions.”
I wasn’t the least bit sure I had control of my thoughts. There was an alien in my brain trying to explain the process of quantum telepathy, and I could think about was touching his body. I’d never felt this kind of raw magnetic pull to anyone before. I wanted to feel his hands on me, exploring the curves of my figure as he laid me down on the bed.
“Why me?”
“I’ve been asking myself the same thing. My people, the T’Kali, are always connected with one another. The quantum entanglement that allows us to communicate this way ties us to those who are close to us. Friends, family. Lovers. And there is always a particularly strong connection to the ones we are meant to partner with. Our lifemates. It’s a physical phenomenon. The connections change the chemistry of our brains, giving it a powerful emotional component.”
“So you don’t have a choice?”
Jak touched my face gently with his hand, locking his eyes on my own. “There’s always a choice, Ashley. Every living being has free will to do what they wish.” His lips lingered close to mine, wrestling with his desire evident in his halted breath. Free will, indeed.
“But the T’Kali live in harmony with one another, and with the laws of the universe. Fighting a tangible fact of reality would be swimming upstream. So we honor the connection when it arises.”
“But I’m not a…” I fought to remember the word and felt the clarity of the image beginning to wane. I didn’t want to leave him yet. There was a comfort in his presence, and a fire growing inside my body. I needed to feel his lips on me, to surrender myself to the inexplicable passion I felt growing inside me. But I also needed answers. “I’m not one of your people. Why are you connected to me?”
“I wish I understood it, Ashley. I’ve spent my entire life wondering why I never felt the pull o
f connection to anyone. It’s unusual to reach my age without feeling the irresistible pull of the lifemate. I wondered why I was different, and I started to wonder if perhaps I was somehow broken, and would never experience the bond with anyone.”
“That sounds like a blessing. No one to hurt you. No one to take advantage of you.”
“No one to love. No one to share my life with. But I’ve made the best of it. I threw myself into my work, became the youngest first officer in three generations. Without a lifemate of my own, I was free to devote myself to protecting the wellbeing of everyone. The universe is a big place. There are a lot of people to help.”
“Believe me, Jak. I get it. I’ve spent my life helping my people, too. Ironic that it’s easier to help when you’re alone.”
“It’s true. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. It’s easier to make those kinds of tough decisions when you’re not…attached.” His snapped to mine and peered deep into my soul, the luminous blue penetrating me to my core. My pulse raced in anticipation as the spark of arousal caught fire inside me.
“But then I felt your presence. You were still developing your ability to communicate, but the bond itself was undeniable. No humans have connected with a T’Kali the way you have. It says a great deal about who you are that you were able to reach out this way. It takes a great deal of empathy, and compassion, and openness. Feeling your consciousness enter the field was a surprise.”
“You’re surprised? Imagine how I must feel. I’m talking to an alien on a mission to save the universe.”
“I don’t need to imagine it, Ashley.” He traced his palm down my cheek, cupping my face in his hands. “I can feel everything you’re feeling.” Jak pulled my body in close to him, pressing me against his muscular chest. I released myself to the feelings of desire and leaned in his embrace, yearning to feel the touch of his lips as he hungrily parted my lips…
But I couldn’t feel his touch. His figure began to dim in front of me as the walls of the ship’s cabin grew dark, fading away into memory as my consciousness returned to my room.
I was home.
And I was alone.
Chapter 2
A’Jakri
“Commander, I don’t feel right about this.” Lieutenant Callum looked up from the holographic display of his nav computer at the full-scale image of Earth projected in front of him. Callum was my oldest friend, the closest thing I had to a brother. He trusted me with his concerns despite the fact that our rank differential should have strained our friendship. “I know we have our orders, but seeing it like this, it suddenly seems so real.”
“I appreciate your candor, Lieutenant. Not many of your peers would have the courage to say it, regardless of the way they felt.” The blue planet slowly rotated on its axis in front of us. I marveled at the beauty of the place. From here, it was easy to forget the savagery of its inhabitants. “But as you so aptly put it, we have our orders. We still don’t have the full results of the analysis, and the council hasn’t come to a final decision. There’s no need to worry yet.”
Callum spun around in his chair. His mobile comm displayed glowed with life as he keyed in the passcode and retrieved a document. “Look at the preliminary report, Commander. It’s not promising.
“I’ve seen it, Callum.”
“Their tech has evolved exponentially over the past century.” He scrolled through the information with a few quick gestures. “Soon they’ll soon be making the jump into galactic civilization.” His hands gestured in the air, cycling through a series of photographs. The large Hadron Collider. A microprocessor. A strand of spliced DNA. An F-22 fighter. He stopped on a particularly grisly image of a village in ruins. A young girl in tears and tattered clothes, peeking out from the rubble. “Their spirits, their morals…they didn’t keep up. They’re prone to war, to deception, corruption and greed. Look at how they’ve ravaged their planet. Squandered their resources. I can already hear Captain Ro: ‘Just imagine if that cancer was allowed to spread.’ I hate to say it, but what if he’s right?”
“Fair point, Callum. But were our own people so different? Look back at our history. The Partrathein war? We nearly destroyed ourselves and our world, too. Self-interest and greed are innate to all living things. They’re a survival mechanism.”
“Until they’re not. They’re going to destroy themselves. Or they’re going to take to space and destroy the rest of us.”
“I don’t believe that. Our people figured it out. We had to adapt. Learning how to take care of one another, and our home, was essential to our survival. We have to hope that they’ll do the same.”
“Commander, the council won’t accept hope. We need evidence. And from what I’ve seen, it doesn’t look good.”
“I believe that there are good people among them.”
“You’re talking about her.” Callum was the only one I trusted enough to tell about Ashley. The once anonymous ping in my neural field. But even though Callum was my closest friend, I hadn’t told about the strength of our connection, and I hadn’t told him about the lifemate resonance. The T’Kali are funny about lifemates. If I even implied that I felt its essence, I would be removed from my post. The high council would question my ability to do what was necessary in the event that humanity needed to be purged.
“Have you been able to make contact?”
“She’s making progress. Accepting the connection more readily, and remaining for longer. She knows who I am, but not why we’re here.”
“That’s probably for the best. I mean, you’re using the connection to study them, right? She probably wouldn’t be so forthcoming if she knew you were using her to influence the fate of her entire race.”
“If we’re basing the decision solely on Ashley, Earth will be fine. She has a strong heart. Stronger than many of the T’Kali, even.”
“But how would she react if she knew?”
“How would you, Callum?” I snapped. “How would anyone take the news that their entire species was on trial?”
“I didn’t mean to overstep, sir.”
“No, I was out of line.” Captain Ro would be right to remove me from my post. The protective instinct of the bond was already interfering my ability to stay rational. And it would only get worse as our connection strengthened. “It’s just the exertion of reaching out to her interfering with my sleep. Once our bond is strong enough, it will be easier.”
“Commander?”
“Disregard, Lieutenant.”
“This is serious, isn’t it? Does anyone know?”
“Dammit, Callum, I said forget it.”
He turned back to the holographic display and spun the Earth around in his view. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m just trying to look out for you. Captain Ro isn’t going to like this.”
“Captain Ro doesn’t know. No one needs to know.”
“He’ll find out, eventually. And it’s not going to change his decision.”
“No. And if he decides against them, his decision is final.”
“You could always invoke the Rite of T’ariak. Challenge his authority and assume command of the ship.”
“The battle rite of T’ariak has no place aboard a civilized starship. It’s a barbaric holdover from our own unenlightened past. The Arena on this ship has never been used. Not once. And I don’t want to change that now.”
“Of course not, Commander. It was just a thought,” said Callum.
“We’ll have to go about this the right way. Convince Captain Ro that they deserve to live on their own merit,” I said, looking back at the glowing screen of his mobile comm device. “The only thing that’s going to do that is proof that enough of them have the courage and conviction to evolve.”
“I understand, Commander. I’ll double down on my efforts. I’ll put together the best damn case I can for them.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
“You believe in them,” said Callum.
I still felt the remnants of my connection with Ashley r
esonating throughout my body. There was nothing I could do to fight it, now. The growing bond had already begun to physically rewire my neurology.
Already, I could feel the permanence of the connection. I could feel the traces of her emotions coursing through me, affecting my perceptions as her day unfolded. And I knew there was no going back. I would do anything to protect her, regardless of what Captain Ro decided.
“Yes, Callum. I believe in them. I have to.”
Chapter 3
Ashley
I slipped my shoulders through the straps of the fall arrest harness, pulling them snug. “How’s that?”
“Pull it tighter,” said Tom. He stepped around behind me and gave a firm tug as he cinched the straps around her back. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, but we can’t take any chances. Your father would never forgive me if something happened to you up there.”
“No worries, Tom. Do what you have to do.” I stepped into the leg loops and secured the harness tight around my thighs. The harness was designed to limit my mobility as little as possible, but it was a still a different feeling than the climbing harnesses I’d worn before.
I still couldn’t believe Tom agreed to let me go up inside the wind turbine. There are rigid safety requirements and training protocols in place for their service technicians. Tom knew I had several years of rock climbing experience under my belt, but there were other legal liability issues at play here.
Fortunately, Tom was an old Navy friend of my Dad’s, and was willing to be sweet-talked into making an exception for me. He never had any children of his own, so he viewed me as a sort of surrogate daughter. And he never passed up the opportunity to spread good publicity about his line of work. The minute I told him I was writing an article on the future of wind power, I knew he wouldn’t be able to turn it down.
