Alien Heart (4 page)

“How did this happen, Anji?” He sounded genuinely interested.

“It was a long time ago. You’re not—repelled?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Ah. Our reputation for perfection. That is for inanimate items, such as art, and a finely designed building. Living beings can never be perfect, no matter how they aspire to it. Will you trust me with your story, Anji?”

She swallowed, tears stinging her eyes at the tenderness in his voice. It had been so long since someone cared about her.

“It was the day I lost my parents.” She rested her head on his arm, focused on the freckles scattered over his shoulders. They were a sexy surprise, and made him even more attractive to her. “I was six, and we were on our way out of the city for a picnic, riding the express tram. A malfunction sent another tram on the same track, from the opposite direction. There was a head on collision. The only reason I survived is because I had dropped my toy and was under the seat reaching for it when the trams crashed.”

By the time she finished, Kiele had his arms wrapped tightly around her, his leg draped over hers. A full body hug that felt better than any contact she’d had in a long time.

“My sweet Anji.” His lips found her scar again, gently kissing every inch of it. “I am so sorry. You were left alone?”

“My aunt Lila came for me, raised me the best she could. She wasn’t fond of children, so she treated me like a short adult.” A smile tugged at her lips. “She ran a small ships repair, and taught me everything I know. It helped that I had an interest, and a natural talent for it. When I was old enough to go out on my own, we said our goodbyes. I still send her emails when I can, and she digitally grunts back.”

His laughter rumbled through her. “She sounds as if she loves you, despite herself.”

“You got it, on the nose.” Anji ducked her head. “She doesn’t know about my work bond.”

“How—”

“I got in over my head trying to start my own business, and the owner of my loan decided to sell it to the bond guild. Better than a stint in prison, paying off my debt at pennies a day.”

“You have not become bitter at your change in fortune.”

“Oh, I was plenty bitter. Just inside my head, where my bond holders couldn’t hear me. Having a deadline helped—and I’ve made all sorts of contacts, people who respect my skills with an engine. I won’t lack for opportunities when I am finally free.”

She let out a gasp when his arms tightened around her. “I would be your opportunity, Anji. Give me the first chance when your bond is done.”

“I think,” his cock twitched inside her and she fought to keep from arching against him. “I think I can do that.”

He stroked her and they both moaned, her body tightening around him, ready again for another round of mind-altering sex.

“Kiele?”

He stroked her again, his voice unsteady. “Yes,
t’anling
?”

Now that she knew what the endearment meant, it filled her with warmth. “Why did you take my bond as payment for Captain Johnson’s debt?”

“Ah.” He halted and pulled back, enough that he could meet her eyes. “I wondered when you would ask. You intrigued me, from the moment we met. Most human females in your place would have screamed. You attacked me.”

“And you found that intriguing?”

“I found it surprising. I found
you
intriguing. When I understood you were tied to the deplorable Johnson by a work bond, I wanted to free you from his influence.”

Anji stretched up and kissed him, taking him in deeper. “Thank you.”

He hummed against her lips. “It was my pleasure.”

“I’ll say.”

She let out a shriek when he rolled her over, his weight pressing her into the bed. Her shriek became a moan, his thick, hard cock touching her core.

“I enjoy this lovemaking position.” He rocked into her, and she bowed off the bed. “Anji—I do not want you to suffer for my selfishness—”

“Don’t you dare stop.”

He smiled down at her. “I can only obey,
t’anling
.”

Orlen showed up
at the door to Anji’s room disgustingly early. Like he knew she’d spent half the night with his commander.

“Dress,” he said when the door slid open. “It is past time for you to begin work.”

She stumbled over to the closet, pulled on a pair of work trousers and a loose shirt. She took long enough to splash water on her face and brush her teeth, groaning at the glimpse she dared to take in the mirror.

Orlen waited for her, arms crossed, a frown on his narrow face. “You have tools?”

“Yes.” She kept her voice as cool and clipped as his.

“Bring them. I will see if they are up to my standards.”

Muttering under her breath, she buckled her tool belt around her waist and grabbed her box. She’d show him up to his standards. Her tools were the best money could buy; she spent most everything she earned from her first job on them.

She followed him through the ship, to what looked like a secondary engine room. It would make sense on a ship this size, with such a specialized form of propulsion. This engine was a standard class, one she’d worked on hundreds of times.

Orlen pointed to the engine. “Find what is wrong with it.”

“Another test?”

A frown creased his forehead. “This is no test. The engine has not run since we were—since we left our last port.”

“Fine.” Anji set her box on the floor, next to the turbine, and dug out her diagnostic tool. “Will this be good enough for your high standards?”

She handed him the tool, watched his long, webbed hands examine it. Thoroughly. She’d noticed after wandering the ship that some of the T’An had serious webbing, like Orlen, and others had only a thin membrane between each finger, above their knuckles, like Kiele. She wondered if it had to do with how much time they spent in the water, or how often they immersed.

Orlen’s thoughtful hum snapped her back.

“It is a fine piece.” He sounded surprised. “Please, continue.”

The please didn’t even sound forced.

Feeling less hostile, Anji started running the tool along the engine—and froze when she reached the back of the main block.

“Are these—laser burns?”

“You will repair the engine, not interrogate your superior.”

And the stiff-necked ass was back.

“I need to know what happened to the engine, so I
can
repair it.”

With a sigh, Orlen rubbed his forehead. “We met an unfriendly faction, while we were making a stop at one of your supply stations. There were—”

“Words? This was up close and personal, Orlen. You can’t tell me different—I’ve seen laser damage before. You were boarded.”

“We were betrayed, by one of our own. And that is all you will know of it. Fix the engine, human.”

He turned on one heel and left her alone. She was insulted, but at the same time honored that he thought enough of her to leave her alone with the engine.

The damage wasn’t serious, but there was a lot of it. Anji hoped they didn’t need it for a while. With a deep breath she set her toolbox on the floor, then crouched, planning her attack on the engine.

She lost track of time, until her legs started to cramp, which told her she had been at it too long and needed a break. She used the wall next to her to help her stand, blinking when she realized she had reached the other end of the long engine.

“No wonder.” Shaking out each leg, she studied the part of the engine in front of her. The damage was minimal here. She had been so focused on tracing certain mechanical paths that she didn’t stand back and look at the big picture. Now she did, walking from the back of the engine to the front. “Damn,” she whispered.

It had been deliberate.

Most of the damage had been to the main systems—but fortunately for Kiele, whoever did the damage knew little about engines. It had been superficial, like burning off the first layer of skin. That hurt like hell, but it didn’t stop a body from functioning.

Anji shook her head. “I need to spend more time around women,” she muttered.

“There are other human females aboard, if you feel this work is beyond your skills.” Orlen’s sour voice turned her around.

“I wasn’t thinking of it because of my skills. Sir.”

His permanent frown deepened. “Then why were you—”

A low, throbbing sound vibrated to metal deck. “What the hell was that?”

Orlen had already sprinted across the engine room. He laid his hand on the surface of a rectangular pad, and a cool blue light scanned his palm. Anji jerked when a holograph burst to life in the middle of the room. It was the exterior of the ship.

A second ship, similar to theirs, hovered just below—but it kept flickering in and out of sight, like some kind of shield cloaked it. Orlen started cursing. At least, she figured it was cursing, since he spoke his own language. He tapped the tiny comm on his collar and spoke quietly, the urgency in his voice scaring her.

“What is it?
Orlen
.”

He spun, the fury in his eyes making her take a few giant steps back.

“A rival faction. They caused the damage you are not repairing, the last time they offered to talk peacefully.”

“It’s done.” He glared at her. “The engine is fixed. It was deliberate.”

He halted mid stalk. “What?”

“The damage. It was done intentionally, though whoever did it had no idea how an engine actually works.”

Before she could think to move he lunged forward and grabbed her arm.

“You will report this to the commander. After I deal with the ship attempting to attach to our—”

A screaming alarm cut him off. Anji looked up at him. “Does that mean they just attached?”

Orlen spoke into his comm, spitting out a series of orders. Then he grabbed her other arm and pulled her in. “The commander is in the middle of his immersion cycle. Do you understand what this means?” She nodded, her eyes wide. “I need you to wake him, whatever it takes, and tell him what is happening.”

“What
is
happening, Orlen?”

“The commander’s brother is making good on his threat.”

***

Anji ran through
the corridors, thankful she was familiar enough with this part of the ship not to get too lost. Orlen’s final instructions ran through her mind, over and over.

“They consider humans to be inferior. Allow them to keep thinking this is true.”

She thought there was a compliment in there somewhere.

Halfway down the corridor leading to the private quarters, she heard the echo of footsteps on the smooth metal deck. Instead of bolting, like every instinct screamed at her to do, she pressed her back to the wall and lowered her head.

“You’re submissive,” she whispered, “You believe they are better than you.” Oh, it rankled, but if it got them to walk past her, she’d get on her hands and knees and bow to them.

They came into sight, and she almost dropped to her knees. Kiele was tall, but lean. These T’An were huge. Body builder huge. The scales tracing their hairlines were also more prominent, and darker than the T’An she had seen on the ship. Maybe it was because they all had their hair slicked back, like they’d just stepped out of the water. The one in front was slightly smaller, and looked an awful lot like Kiele—

His brother.

For some reason, she always thought the factions were different families. Obviously, she thought wrong.

“Take the engine room.” His voice was deeper than Kiele’s, less—kind. “I will go wake my dear brother.”

Her heart practically jumped in her throat. Kiele was in his immersion cycle, which made him as vulnerable as he ever got. She had to stop his brother, create some kind of distraction.

“Sir.” She pushed off the wall, nearly slamming into his chest when he whirled. He yanked her on her tiptoes, his fingers digging into her upper arm.

“You are supposed to…” His voice faded as he studied her, and the anger faded from his eyes, replaced by what she didn’t want to see. Lust. “Where has my brother been hiding you? For a human you are quite—appealing.”

“The Commander is on the bridge, sir.” Anji had always been a bad liar, her voice cracking the second the words came out. But the stakes had never been this high. “He knew you were coming.”

The T’An cursed and shoved her out of his way, heading back toward the bridge. Anji caught herself on the curving wall, her arm throbbing. The second he was out of sight she bolted down the corridor. Thankfully, Kiele had programmed his door lock so she could enter without his palm scan.

She leaped inside as soon as the door slid open, slapped the lock, and headed for the rectangular glass tub. Her first view of Kiele had her skidding to a halt.

He floated in the clear water, naked, and absolutely magnificent.

“How the hell am I supposed to wake him?”

She glanced around, spotted the silver cube next to the closet, similar to the one in her room. That should give her enough height to—she didn’t know, reach in and tap his shoulder? How did someone wake a T’An in immersion?

“I’ll figure that out when I can touch him.” She hauled the cube over to the tub, surprised by how heavy it was. Pushing up the sleeve on her left arm, she climbed up, held on to the thick lip, and eased her hand into the water. “Kiele. You need to wake up. Please, Kiele—your brother’s on the ship. You have to wake up.”

She touched his shoulder—and almost screamed when he trapped her wrist and burst out of the water, dragging her up to eye level.

“Anji?” His grip relaxed, became a caress on her skin. “What are you doing here?”

“Your brother’s on the ship.”

He didn’t question. Instead he cradled her cheek, searched her face. “Did he harm you?”

For the first time, panic lodged her voice in her throat. She shook her head, and stared at the edge of the tub. Gently, Kiele lifted her chin, and kissed her, so tender tears stung her eyes. Then he moved—fast.

Leaping out of the tub, he stalked over to his closet, the scales that traced his spine glistening in the overhead light. Anji saw a long, jagged scar across the left side of his back, through his gills. The same spot where she had dug in the first time they met, trying to get away from him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“For what,
t’anling
?” He yanked a uniform out of the closet as he talked, then picked up a long cloth and started to dry himself. God help her, he was beautiful.

“I didn’t know—when I dug into your back.”

“We had not been properly introduced yet. I can hardly blame you for defending yourself, using the knowledge of our weakness to do so.” By the time he finished he was dressed. He left behind his boots, but hooked a weapons belt around his hips. The webbing between his fingers, and his toes was more noticeable. Probably from hanging out in the water. “Anji—I want you to stay here—”

“Hell no.”

His smile startled her. “You are a constant surprise. It delights me. Come then.” He held out his hand. “But you must do exactly as I say, and when I tell you to go, you obey.”

“Got it.”

He pulled her out of his room and down the corridor, not making a sound in his bare feet. Anji sounded like a herd of clumsy sheep. With a smile he lifted her in one arm and tucked her against his side. She should have felt insulted, but he felt so good, his skin cool and silky soft.

They reached the corridor leading to the bridge and he set her down, drawing an ugly, sleek weapon she had never seen before.

“Take your boots off, Anji,” he whispered. “We need to be silent from this point. Have you any weapons?”

She produced her laser tool. “Small, but it hurts like nobody’s business.”

“Good. I may use it on Lian. My brother,” he clarified. “The fool believes that violence is the only way to change. Stay behind me,
t’anling
.”

They crept to the wide double doors leading to the bridge. Kiele scanned his palm, and the doors slid open. Lian whirled, surprise on his face.

“There you are, brother.” His eyes narrowed. “And the dead human who lied to me.”

Anji swallowed. Kiele stepped in front of her, and aimed his weapon at Lian.

“Get off my ship.”

“You refused to listen to reason. This is the only way I knew of to get your attention.”

“By sabotaging my ship? Putting my entire crew in peril? Your faction’s idea of reason is why I walked out of the negotiation. What they want is barbaric. Lian,” he moved to his brother, lowering his weapon. “Talk to me. Tell me how we can cross this breach.”

“We never will. Not as long as you see the humans as viable. They were meant to be—”

“No.”
The fury in Kiele’s voice had her stumbling back. “That is not an option. I will never be part of it. If that is the reason you boarded my ship without invitation, you can turn around and crawl back out.”

“I was afraid you might have that reaction.” He touched his collar. “Take out the—”