by Alyx X
“I should be able to make some money scrapping it or selling it in pieces or whole. Maybe more than I would have made on…other deals I had planned.” His pause spoke volumes, and a trickle of relief ran across my skin.
I swallowed my eggs and took a swig of the dark blue juice. It was vaguely fruity, and the sweet flavor burst across my tongue. “How does all this work? They left their ship and it’s yours now? Won’t anyone come looking for it?”
He chuckled. “You want to fight off some more raiders? Hoping for some more guests to come claim that ship from the Lyx ‘n Piper Lost and Found?”
I grinned. “Not really. I just don’t know anything about space laws.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and my face heated when he handed me a soft piece of fabric instead.
He sighed. “I suppose it’s very much survival of the fittest out here.”
I got that. Sounded a lot like the laws of the desert, except we tried not to take anything that already belonged to someone else. Like me. I’d belonged to my people.
“That’s why raiders like the Urdrucks get to exist. They roam space hunting things and taking what they want.”
I huffed. “They sound like overgrown children.”
He nodded but continued his thought. “The finders-keepers rule means if I had a crew, I’d probably keep their ship, start my own fleet—”
“A fleet of two?” I nudged his foot under the table.
“Hey, every fleet’s got to start somewhere.” He grinned. Fuck, I really liked that smile. “But as it’s just me, it’s worth more broken down and sold off in pieces.”
“You could just swap? I mean, they got onboard here pretty easily. Aren’t you worried for next time someone attacks you?”
“I used to have a lot more security features.” He shook his head. “Somehow their ship disabled them and took them all offline.”
“Well, last night definitely wasn’t all me.” I cut a piece of purple steak and held it up in celebration. “Congratulations to you, too.” Then I popped the meat in my mouth and the taste nearly overwhelmed me. It was amazing—far better than chewy chidder with burnt parts from the hard-to-control open flames of the fire pit. “This is really good,” I moaned, the words slipping out naturally as I praised him.
What other good things were there to eat in space? I opened my mouth, almost ready to say I wanted to find out what life up here would be like. Almost ready to point out that now that he had money I could stay and not be in danger. What the fuck was I thinking?
“Now you have enough money on this damn ship, looks like you can take me home after all.” That was better.
My brain had done a one-eighty so quick it almost hurt, but I had to say those words, had to stick with my plan. Still, I could soften things. “I won’t forget this whole thing happened, but take me home and I might not cut off your cock and balls. Or rip out your heart.”
He lifted his juice to his lips and took a slow sip, his gaze never wavering from mine, and my chest tightened as I spoke the words. I needed that fucking mating instinct to wear off already. It had even made me revoke my threat of bodily harm, something I never did. I never backed down on anything. Never made myself that weak.
Just when I thought he was deliberately chugging his entire juice, he finally lowered the glass back to the table. “I agree,” he said, and my chest squeezed in pain.
Damn traitorous body. Good thing my mind was still in control.
“I’ve already changed course and we should return to Earth in a few days. I’ll drop you off where I found you, and you’ll never have to think of me again.” He sounded so business-like, but that was all I’d ever been for him—a business transaction, and one he’d planned to make him very rich.
Now, he had that other ship, and I was surplus to requirements.
He spoke again, confirming my thoughts. “I hunted you, and I took you from your home, for the money. I didn’t think of anything else, I didn’t have any other reason. You were a means to an end for me, a way to not starve.” He cleared his throat. “But I never expected things to go this way, and I plan to do the right thing by you. You’ve said repeatedly that I can do that by taking you home, so that’s what I need to do.” He shrugged and put the last bite of his breakfast into his mouth. Then he stood and grabbed his empty plate and glass. “Enjoy the rest of your meal. I’ll clean up here, then return to the bridge to ensure nothing else prevents you returning home as quickly as possible.”
I stared at the table as he continued to talk, his voice flat and free of emotion.
“You’ve got free rein of the kitchen and to explore the ship. You can go anywhere you like. We’ve got some crazy-good viewing windows in some of the rooms, so you could even make the most of being up here by seeing as much as you can.”
I couldn’t believe him. By doing exactly what I wanted, he was hurting me, and I hated it. Maybe, for a moment, I even hated him.
I shoved an oversized piece of meat into my mouth, just needing to eat and be done so I could leave. I didn’t want to be with him anymore. I didn’t want to feel this need to be with him.
It was all contrived, all a manipulation of my mind. The mating connection didn’t exist. It couldn’t, because I didn’t want it to. I chewed angrily, taking out my confused emotions on the food Lyx had cooked for me.
I didn’t ask for any of this, and it didn’t fit at all with my tribe’s beliefs that everything happened for a reason. We didn’t believe in God, but we did believe in fate. This couldn’t possibly be my fate. There was no way an abduction had put me on the right life path.
My mind whispered to me about change and adapting to new ideas, but I shut it down. The things I’d told my father didn’t apply to this situation. I wouldn’t let them.
Lyx hadn’t done anything at all to deserve my overwhelming feelings for him. He was still using me to get whatever the hell it was he wanted. He’d created the feelings to suit his own purposes, and I planned to prove it.
I spat out the meat he’d cooked, leaving the unattractive glob of food on the plate as I stalked out of the room.
16
Lyx
I sat in my seat on the bridge—the one constant in my life—and watched the stars stream toward and past me as we made our return journey to Earth. I checked my viewing screens to ensure I still had the Urdruck ship attached to my hull—the only place I had to keep it until I could disassemble and store it in pieces—and nodded in satisfaction when I took in its quality once more. It really would make me as much as trafficking humans. Maybe more.
I shook my head. What a stupid, failed idea that had been.
My chest ached, and I rubbed it absently, trying to soothe my breaking heart. For a while, I’d thought she might stay. Especially when she grew stronger, signaling the mating bond, and even liked the food.
I wanted her to stay, but I couldn’t force her—I’d done enough forcing, and I hated it. I’d taken her by force and almost started training her by force. Closing my eyes, I blew out a sigh. When she’d responded to me, though, I hadn’t forced that.
I looked at the stars again, at the enormity of the galaxy. It seemed like some kind of sick joke. After being so lonely for so long, maybe it stood to reason that my soul would find its other half in a human I should never have met; someone I’d been told to kidnap and basically forced into being a sex slave.
I’d come a long way from the son of a mild mannered, family-oriented scrap dealer, to kidnapper and human transporter. The human trafficker persona just wasn’t me. Although, since the mating connection had opened and then was received and even accepted by Piper, I’d become more… I hesitated as I thought of the word. There was a hint of ownership, but certainly not in the way Satyan intended to own her, and I was definitely more territorial. I wanted to take her, I wanted her to bow before me, and I wanted her to take me.
Above all, I yearned for her to accept the bond I thought we’d created.
Thoughts of being with her, of f
inalizing our bond wound through me, heating me from within, until sparks raced through me and gathered at the base of my cock. I stiffened instantly, growing hard from just the thought of Piper.
I smoothed my palm over the bulge in my pants then grasped it in my hand. I almost groaned. Fuck, I wanted her. My tail pulsed, and I unfastened my pants to release both my tail and my cock, almost not in control as I flicked my tail across me, wrapping it around my hard shaft. I began to stroke, slow and steady, and I threw my head back, closing my eyes and arching my back against the crash of sensation rushing over me.
I dug my fingernails into the arms of my chair, rocking against my tail as it stroked my cock again and again, racing toward an orgasm I needed. I didn’t care about drawing out or teasing myself. I just wanted to come—and come hard. My breaths caught as I panted, chanting Piper’s name in my head.
Just as my balls were tightening, the door to the bridge slammed open, bouncing with the force of being slid by someone who meant business. My eyes flew open as Piper strode into the room, stopping at the sight of my tail wrapped around my hard dick.
“Well, that’s one use of your tail I hadn’t thought of.”
I looked away from the smug grin that claimed her lips as I stumbled to my feet, trying to shove my tail into the leg of my pants while fastening my cock back in without catching it on any of the little teeth of the zipper. As engorged as I was, it’d be a fresh new level of bloodbath. Unexpected panic spiraled through me at being caught.
Piper stepped closer. “You know,” she said, like I might actually want to engage in conversation after being caught with my cock out. “When they want it to feel like someone else, most guys just use their other hand.”
“What the fuck are you doing, marching in here like you own this bridge?” Embarrassment turned to hot anger.
She laughed. Actually laughed, and my cheeks burned.
“You told me I could roam about. Explore,” she said. “And here I am, roaming and exploring. What exactly are you doing?” She stared at the still-obvious bulge in my pants and it throbbed under her gaze. “Exploring yourself?”
“Nuh.” My answer was short and sharp. “Just getting reacquainted with myself, seeing as it looks like I’m the only company I’ll have for the foreseeable future.”
“Damn straight,” she grinned and sauntered over to the huge viewing window, seeming to put a little bit of extra sexy in her walk. She pressed her palm to the toughened glass as she looked out at the unending sky. “I’ll never forget this,” she murmured. “I’ve seen so much I never even imagined existed. At least this trip hasn’t been all bad.”
I scuffed my foot against the floor and leaned over my desk to check our coordinates, fine-tuning them just a little. “Always glad to be of assistance,” I muttered, sounding surly even to me.
But I couldn’t help it. I was taking her home when I didn’t want her to leave, and every passing star brought us closer to our destination.
“So, why are you here again?” I feigned disinterest as my conflicted feelings wanted to both pull her against me and push her as far away as I could.
I watched her fingers trail down the glass, and her voice was angry when she spoke again. “Why did you take me?”
I sighed, reaching for my usual reply. “Like I said. I needed the money.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She half-turned, and I had to look away from her because every move she made just sent more desire through me. “Why did you take me?” She spoke every word slowly, like she was directing her question at a child.
“Uh… I saw you.” That seemed like a good start. “I needed a human. You are one.” Getting better all the time. “You were…easy to catch.” I stopped with my babbled, unprepared explanations. Wait a minute. Well, that was a flat lie. She wasn’t easy to catch at all, and I’d damn near killed her trying to bring her onboard.
“Was I, though?” Her question sounded so innocent, but it was a web waiting to wrap itself around me and smother me in more lies.
I couldn’t answer her. I’d passed over other humans, and I probably could have taken any one of the other females with ease. I could have even landed and purchased one, for fuck’s sake. But no. I’d seen this warrior and I’d wanted only her.
In the end, I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t verbalize the thoughts spinning in my head, and she stepped closer.
“Lyx—” She gritted her teeth a little and my throat dried. “Are you sure you didn’t take me because I seemed like the type to take any chance to leave Earth? Even if that chance was to be kidnapped by a cowardly alien?”
“I’m not—” I cut myself off. She was right, after all. I hadn’t taken her because of anything besides my own instincts. I had passed over other women in my search, and when I’d seen her… I just knew she was the one. I couldn’t explain it, and certainly not to the obviously accusatory human before me.
“None of this makes sense. I shouldn’t ever have met you. There’s no reason that you and I would be bonded.” She seemed to be searching for a way to explain our connection. It made sense, considering we really shouldn’t have met. She thinks I made it up.
“My parents raised me to respect women.” This one was easy. “And I had no interest in—”
“What about god?” Piper interrupted me. “Do Tryonians have a god?”
I laughed, and it hurt. “My god died with his planet.” I checked my screens again. “There’s no such thing as faith. Just chance.” When did I start sounding so bitter?
Piper seemed to falter, opening her mouth then closing it again. Maybe she hadn’t expected my answer.
“What is it?” I wanted to keep her talking just to hear her voice before it was gone for good.
“I was hoping there’d be some dumb reason I might feel this way, because fate would never be so cruel, and now I can’t even pin this ridiculousness on a higher power. Just chance.” She scoffed.
“Of course it was chance. I’m not lying to you, Piper.”
“My people believe in fate.” She smiled wryly, like maybe she didn’t believe so much any longer. “Fate always puts us on the right path, but this isn’t my fate.” She shook her head.
“Why are you asking all these questions?” I glanced at her, needing her to say what she was thinking. I wanted her to just accuse me already.
“I told you. I don’t know why I feel like this. I thought maybe… you made it up.” She gestured toward me, and her next words were angry.
I could feel the rage simmering off her.
“After all, you’re just an asshole who kidnapped me to sell me to some fuckwad who thinks all women are good for is cock-sucking.”
“I don’t think that,” I blurted.
She laughed. “Yeah. I saw that when you came into that smelly hole so drunk you could barely stand.” Seeming to change tactics, she trailed her finger down her chest to her cleavage. “So, if you don’t want to train me, what do you want?”
I didn’t say anything, just stood frozen in front of her, wanting too much, not daring to try.
She stepped closer. “I want you.” Her voice stayed low almost as if she didn’t want anyone to overhear, even though I was the only one here. “And I hate that I want you. I hate it because you’re just a weak alien who kidnaps women and can’t even take control of what he wants.” She finished on a sharp burst of anger. Are all human females this back and forth?
A growl rose through my chest, and I grabbed her then pushed her against the cold metal wall. “Dammit,” I muttered. “Dammit, I can take what I want, but I won’t because that will hurt you. I’ve already hurt you enough. I won’t do it again.”
She placed her finger over my lips, silencing me. “I want to. Right now, I want to.” Determination shone in her eyes. “It should be all in my head, but it’s not. My body wants you, too. So fuck me. Fuck me hard.” She unknotted her top. “Do whatever you want.”
I inhaled a shaky breath but even before I’d finished filling my chest,
my lips were on hers, my tongue pushing into her mouth. She immediately responded. Her tongue stroked mine, then flicked over the inside of my mouth as her body pushed against me. She wound her arms around my neck, and I groaned with fierce need.
The buttons on her shirt were flimsy, and when I couldn’t fumble them open, I ripped them off, exposing her to my hands and my greedy mouth. I lowered my head the considerable distance between us and sucked on her nipples, drawing on them and lapping at them with my tongue. Her breathing became erratic as I did, the sound of it making my cock jump.
She pushed her hands into my waistband then unfastened my pants so she could palm my cock. I reacted immediately, stiffening at her touch, and another growl rumbling through me. She laughed and worked her hand around, touching the base of my tail. I gasped, nearly coming on the spot. My tail pulsed and my cock throbbed, and I gasped out a breath.
No one had ever touched me like this.
No one had ever been allowed.
“Fuck, your touch is like fireworks,” I whispered.
She nodded, then threw her head back as I sucked her nipples again, running the tip of my tongue teasingly around them. “That was how it felt when you touched me with your tail.” Then she met my gaze, curious. “Why does it feel like that?”
“It’s the bonding connection.” I pressed kisses to her skin wherever I could reach. “That’s what it’s like for a bonded pair. The male’s tail is special only for them.” I paused. “Only mates can feel that... Was it really like that for you?”
She breathed out a slow breath and nodded. “Yes,” she hissed almost regretfully.
I, however, regretted nothing. I found her lips and kissed her hard as joy surged through me at her admission.
Her fingers were still kneading the base of my tail as I kissed her harder, probing her mouth with my tongue. I pushed my pants from my waist, and they grazed my legs as they fell to the floor. I stepped from them then pushed her pants down the same way.
