Alphas Unleashed (3 page)

He hated the slight hint of fear in her voice. He could tell she was scared even as she tried to hide it. Unsure of how to express his feelings of sympathy, he gently pulled the slender figure into his arms and held her close.

Ben closed his eyes as he rested his chin on the top of her silky hair. He wanted to rub his cheek against the soft strands but didn’t want to frighten her. She had been through enough without him pushing his desire on her. It would be a fruitless endeavor anyway. He had nothing to offer her. No future, no hope of anything but uncertainty and life among the lower levels of an alien warship. Hell, he didn’t even have his own room to offer her privacy.

No,
he thought in despair as his arms tightened around her.
I have nothing to offer her but a moment of compassion and
comfort
.

Chapter 3

Hanine Marquette frowned and glanced around her work area. Except for the one item that had not been there just minutes before, it was exactly as she had left it. Her office, if she could call it that, was set in a small room with nothing more than the computer monitoring system and a chair. She worked as a programmer and was damn good at what she did. In fact, she was much better than what her commanding officers were aware of which was just what she wanted.

She might be assigned as a lowly Engineering Programmer Third Class but she was much more skilled than her peers. She had learned early in her career that when others underestimated who you were and what you could do, they became sloppy. They talked too much and they ignored her when she was around. They also left her alone in her little room where she was supposed to just monitor the warship’s systems. They had no idea that she had written a program that had allowed her to take over the entire warship if she wanted. They also had no idea that she had developed other programming scripts that could shut down systems and shield her and her sister’s movements. She was currently working on a device that would allow her to transport short distances undetected.

No, what was bothering her right now was the small item on her desk. It and the dozens of others she had found always appeared when she was on duty. She normally took only small breaks to relieve herself or to do the hourly checks that were required in the other room. It didn’t matter how often she tried to vary the times, the small items ‘magically’ appeared. She had even found a few on her bunk in her personal quarters.

She was frustrated as she had set up surveillance equipment to monitor who came and went out of the room. So far, she had not been able to capture anyone who was not assigned to the area.

Even the system she set up for their private quarters showed that no one but she and her sister had ever entered the room. She had specifically programmed the door so that no one else could enter except for them and she changed the password every few days.

“Where are these coming from?” She murmured under her breath.

Hanine carefully turned the delicate shape in her hand. This one was in the shape of a soft pink flying creature. The intricately folded creature was made of the same material as the rest of the ones she had. It was made from a mixture of cloth fibers that had been mixed and rolled flat before being dried. She had done an analysis of it when they first started appearing several months before.

She carefully unfolded the creature. She hated destroying it but she was curious when she saw the hint of a printed letter on the tip of one wing. Making sure she didn’t tear the material, she sank down into her chair and worked at unraveling the form. Soon a message appeared on the creased square.

Can I keep you? Forever?

Hanine’s breath caught at the simple words. Her fingers trembled as she carefully traced them. She bit her lip to keep the smile from showing. Whoever was doing this was driving her crazy with curiosity.

“Who are you?” She whispered with a shake of her head. “How are you able to sneak past my sensors?”

*.*.*

Aaron Cooper lay back in the vent above the desk of the woman he had been dreaming about ever since he saw her while working in one of the maintenance shafts four months ago. He had fallen in love with her the moment she rolled her beautiful dark eyes at the two females calling her names.

His lips curled into a grin as he remembered her face when the two women turned away. She had stuck her tongue out at the women and made a face before returning to what she was working on. It was obvious she couldn’t care less what anyone thought of her.

He had been curious about her and began watching for her. He had discovered shortly after Behr had assigned him to one of the maintenance workers that it was easier to move around the warship using the maze of maintenance accesses. When his mentor was reassigned to another warship, Behr had suggested he just take over the task of maintaining the different sensors and wiring. Aaron readily agreed as it allowed him access beyond the lower decks.

He bit back a chuckle when he heard her whispered words of frustration. He had always loved origami. Ben had given him a book on it when he was five in the hopes of helping him learn to read. In the past four months, he had been creating every type of animal or shape he could remember to give to Hanine.

Hanine. Her name is just as beautiful as she is,
he thought as he remembered hearing her name for the first time several months ago.

He closed his eyes and pictured her face in his mind. He wished he could touch her in real life. She had short black hair that danced around her face as she talked. She was always so animated when she was with her sister or she didn’t think anyone was watching her. He loved observing her in those unguarded moments.

She was a lighter purple than her sister. Her skin was more of a soft violet and he would bet the few credits he had that her skin was just as soft. She had a long narrow nose and soft, full lips that begged to be kissed. It was her eyes, though, that held him captive every time he saw her. They were almond-shaped and framed by the darkest lashes he had ever seen. He felt like he could drown in their dark depths.

With a sigh of regret, he heard the next crew member come in to relieve her. She would go up to the dining hall on the upper levels, get herself and her sister some food and return to their living quarters. They never ate with the other crew members. He would have just enough time to leave her another origami. This time he had made her a giraffe.

Pushing silently up, he rose to his feet and took off. One day he would meet her. Even if it was only to watch her turn away from him in disgust. He knew he was nothing like any of the males of her species. While Behr and the others did their best to treat them as equals, Aaron knew that he and Ben would always be considered different.

Until that day,
he thought,
until the day she sees me, I’ll be the ghost who loves her from afar.

Chapter 4

Ben sighed when he felt the warm body in his arms finally relax against him. He gingerly rubbed his chin against Evetta’s soft hair. A soft moan escaped him when he felt her slender arms slide up his chest. He started to release her, thinking that she was pushing him away before his eyes snapped open in surprise as they stopped on his broad shoulders.

“I do not understand why but I want you to…kiss me,” Evetta whispered. “I have never felt this urge before. What power does your species have that makes me want to touch you, taste you…hold you?”

Ben pulled back just far enough to look down into her puzzled eyes. With another groan, he lowered his head and captured her lips. The moment she opened for him, he took advantage and deepened the kiss. She tasted as sweet as he knew she would the first moment he saw her in the doorway.

He broke the kiss when she buried her hands in his hair. The soft sound of her whimper of frustration pulled at him. He pressed soothing kisses across her temple and down along her face to her jaw. He wanted to taste every part of her.

“Ben!” A sharp, deep voice called out, startling them.

Ben turned, shielding Evetta with his body while turning toward the male standing in the doorway frowning at him. Even though he knew it was Behr, he didn’t relax his protective stance. He had no idea what the huge Marastin Dow male would do to their unexpected visitor. He relaxed when he saw it was surprise and not anger that darkened Behr’s voice.

“This is Evetta,” Ben said in a calm voice.

“I know who she is,” Behr replied with a deep frown. “What I don’t understand is why she is down here,” he paused for a moment before his eyes narrowed on her. “Unless you are the reason my men found a dead maintenance worker three levels up.”

*.*.*

Evetta trembled and would have pulled away if not for the tightening of Ben’s arms around her. She tilted her head in challenge, refusing to back down. She would fight before she allowed the officer standing in front of her to abuse her for protecting herself.

“He attacked me. I defended myself,” Evetta responded stiffly. “If I had not killed him, he would have either attacked or killed me at another time.”

Evetta watched as the Chief Science Officer regarded her. His eyes did not hold the cold, calculating look she had seen in others. Instead, she felt like he was peeling away the layers of protection she surrounded herself with to see deep into her soul. She finally had to look away. She was afraid he would see the fear deep inside her and use it against her.

“Evetta,” Behr murmured, waiting for her to look at him again. “It is important that you do not mention that you were down here or that you saw Ben. Many of the other officers have forgotten he is here. It would be dangerous for him and his brother if others knew about them.”

Evetta glanced up startled when she heard the warmth in the Marastin Dow’s voice. Seldom, if ever, did a Marastin Dow male speak in such a way. In fact, the only ones she could remember were her father and the other males from their village who sought out a different way of life from the violence.

“I won’t tell anyone. Would it…would it be possible not to report what happened above?” She bit her lip before looking back up at Ben. “I would also like to know how you came to be here.”

Ben glanced at Behr who nodded. “You might as well tell her. I’ll have one of the females among my staff escort her back to her level in a little while. Until then, keep her here while I let the others know that she is not a threat,” Behr said. “I’ll also have them dispose of the body. It will be documented that the maintenance worker had an allergic reaction to something he ate.”

“Thank you,” Ben responded, curling his arm protectively around Evetta’s waist.

Evetta watched as Behr nodded once before turning to leave. She turned back toward Ben, suddenly realizing that she was leaning into his embrace. She reluctantly stepped back and folded her hands in front of her.

“So, how did you come to be here and what power does your species have that makes me react to you?” Evetta asked, raising her chin in determination to understand why she wanted so desperately be back in his arms.

Ben chuckled and raised his hand to brush her cheek with the back of his knuckles. He enjoyed the way she unconsciously leaned into his touch. A wave of unexpected longing hit him hard. He wanted her. The unexpected intensity of need and protectiveness confused him.

“It is a long story but an interesting one. If you’d like to hear it, I’d be happy to share it with you,” he murmured, as he dropped his hand back to his side and nodded toward one of the chairs. “As for what power I have that makes you react to me the way you do, I could ask you the same thing. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. Perhaps it is you who has the power.”

Evetta could feel heat rising in her cheeks. She bowed her head to cover the sudden feeling of shyness that swept through her. Taking a deep breath, she released it and moved to the chair that Ben had nodded to.

Over the next hour, Ben told Evetta about his and Aaron’s life before and after their kidnapping. He tried to relate only the amusing things that happened but soon found he was sharing some of the darker times as well. He didn’t understand why he was sharing things he normally would never have shared with anyone else besides Aaron. It was as if a floodgate had opened. With just a quietly asked question, he found himself opening up.

He soon was asking questions of his own. He listened as Evetta hesitantly shared her and her sister, Hanine’s, life with him. He was surprised by the silent rage that built when she told him of her mother and father’s death and subsequent enlistment into the military. He knew from what he had learned from Behr and the other warriors how difficult and dangerous life aboard the warships was, especially for the female recruits.

All too soon, Behr returned with Inez, one of the female medics. Ben reluctantly rose from his chair. He didn’t want Evetta to leave but he knew they had no choice. She had to return to her duties in Engineering or someone might become suspicious. He fought with the desire to ask to see her again. It was a hopeless situation. Not only did he not have anything to offer her, he and Aaron were living on borrowed time. Eventually, someone would say something and bring them to the attention of the other officers. Once that happened, there was no telling what would happen to them.

Ben glanced at Behr and Inez before turning back to Evetta who had risen as well. “I…,” he began before breaking off with a curse. He drew in a deep breath before releasing it. “Be safe,” he said gruffly.