Auctioned to the Alpha: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 5) (12 page)

A sudden flurry of sparks lit up on the woman's collar, sending her convulsing and lurching forward in pain.

"Oh no!" yelled Eden. Her cheeks flushed red from the sudden attention Thiago and Arleda diverted towards her. Eden flashed them a guilty smile. "Sorry. I thought I saw a rat run across the floor. False alarm."

Eden peeked back into the room. The woman's shoulders were slumped forward in defeat, obediently lapping the contents of the spoon held in front of her. Eden's heart pounded against her chest. She cut herself another slice of her steak, crossing her legs to conceal the moist spot growing between her legs.

"Can I help you with something?" asked Thiago, shrugging off his formal wear with the speed and angst of a teenager who had been forced to dress up for a fancy dinner party.

Eden was hunched over in his open closet, rummaging through unfolded heaps of clothing on his floor like a forgetful squirrel searching for a buried acorn.

"Where did you put the shock collar you found with me?" asked Eden, resting her chin on her shoulder. "You didn't throw it away, did you?"

"No, you never know when you'll need something like that," said Thiago slowly. Those were the last words he had expected to come out of her mouth. And she had mentioned it offhandedly, as well. "Why would you be looking for such a thing?"

"Trust me," said Eden, rising off the ground.

She shimmied out of Arleda's dress and laid it on the side of a chair. Gently removing the spirals holding her sleek ponytail in place, she lay the slinky hair accessory on the nightstand. His enchanted eyes watched as her loosened hair fell around her shoulders, a few tousled strands sexily framing her face.

"So where is it?"

Thiago opened the third drawer of the nightstand and felt around the bottom, retrieving an ugly collar along with a remote control. Eden took the collar from him and fastened it around her neck. She closed her palm over the control in his hands, a wicked smile crossing her lips as she gazed up at him.

"Could you hold onto this for me?"

Before Thiago could ask any questions, Eden flung her arms around him. She pulled him close hungrily, keeping him silent as she kissed him with the all the passion she had pent up from the restaurant. Something about the morally reprehensible, yet titillating scene she witnessed aroused something she never knew existed inside her.

There was nothing more she wanted at that moment than to let Thiago have his way with her. The intense satisfaction that sparked in Thiago's eyes as he controlled his last target, Krypt, with his mind-control theremin device, made Eden yearn for a similar sensation.

Eden broke away from the sloppy kiss. She fell back on the bed, daintily wiping the sides of her mouth with the back of her hand. With a mischievous grin on her face, Eden slipped off her panties and tossed them aside. She spread her legs wide open to taunt him, stroking her drenched folds with the tips of her fingers. A whispered moan came out of her lips as her middle finger squeezed her sex. She thrust the finger in and out of her quivering folds, her fluttering eyes locking onto Thiago's.

"Don't just stand there. What are you waiting for?" Eden teased him through clenched teeth. "Go ahead. Zap me."

"What?"

"Do it, Thiago. Trust me."

His finger hovered tentatively over the button of the control, his Adam's apple bobbing as he stared at her. The hardening bulge in his pants swelled with every pumping movement of her nimble finger. Lost in the euphoria present on her beautifully contorting face, he gently pressed down on the control.

A momentary spark shot off once on her shock collar. Eden gasped, her eyelids snapping back. She purred faintly, her lowering head sinking back into his pillows.

"Again."

Thiago obliged. He tentatively held the button down for three seconds before his finger bounced off the knob. The bulge between his legs throbbed at the sight her jiggling breasts, trembling along with the short, sensual spasms of her body. Stumbling out of his underwear, he climbed onto the bed. He moved on top of her, his cock dragging against her calf and up the warm flesh of her thighs.

Eden clutched a clump of his hair in her fist, licking a trail along his musky neck as she whispered into his ear.

"Don't hold back."

"I bring bad news, kids."

Arleda sauntered out from the central office of the spacecraft repair station. The station was enormous, claiming a commercial-sized pod for itself, and hovered over thirty thousand feet above ground level. She crossed the landing strip toward Eden and Thiago, who were playing fetch with Hercules by Thiago's parked spaceship.

"I just spoke to five different employees at the station," Arleda announced as she approached them. She crossed her arms, sighing theatrically. "The flight software on my craft is too advanced for these Runic hicks. It's not just that they don't have my processor in stock. They don't even carry the one I need! Can you believe it?"

"That's what I tried to explain to you back on my ship," said Thiago. He snorted unpleasantly. "If you would have listened to me, we could have avoided this waste of time."

"Be nice," Eden whispered. She could already feel the slow creep of Arleda's stay extending past the Salabar mission. Turning to Arleda, she chimed in helpfully. "I'm sorry their customer service wasn't more helpful. Did they recommend a shop that carries what you need?"

"As a matter of fact, they did," said Arleda crossly, tapping a finger against her cheek in thought. "It's in a station all the way out on the border between the Glop and Curvehorn territories. I couldn't ask you to take me all the way there. It would be too much of a burden."

"Great. I was afraid you were going to ask us for another ride."

Eden prodded Thiago's side, inadvertently striking him square in the ribs. She saw how Arleda's prissy tendencies could irritate anyone. However, she couldn't understand what triggered Thiago's animosity toward an ex-partner that used to help him bring in a lot of money. In fact, Thiago had never mentioned Arleda before.

Of course, Eden wasn't naive. She knew there had been more to Arleda and Thiago's partnership than what she saw on the surface. Still, Eden prided herself on being trustworthy. The promise she made to Arleda involved completion of her ship repairs, and Eden was going to deliver if it was possible.

"It wouldn't be any burden at all. We can have a look right after you send Salabar to the authorities."

"Eden, if only all Earthlings were as sweet and considerate as you," Arleda bubbled, wrapping her arm around Eden in a tight squeeze. She paused for effect. "Or had half your smarts. You don't seem the self-important, educated type. Maybe the humans wouldn't be miserable on this planet."

Arleda's candid tone sounded as innocent as ever. The brutal and ignorant remark caught Eden off guard. She frowned. Was it possible that she was reading too much between lines that only existed in her mind? She looked over at Thiago to see if he had overheard the conversation. Apparently he had not. He was busy rubbing the top of Hercules' head, praising the creature for his skill at retrieving objects.

"Um, I don't think..."

"Oh dear, will you look at how late it's getting? I'll have to ask one of the station boys to keep my ship in storage while we take down Salabar. Let's hope they've got enough sense to keep my baby intact while I'm away, or I'll be forced to sue," Arleda spoke to herself breezily, peering up at the darkening skies overhead. "It looks like a storm's about to break over the horizon, too. Come on, let's not waste time. We've got a criminal overlord to catch."

Thiago whistled and pulled a stuffed bone away from Hercules' slobbering mouth. The creature ran and scuttled behind his master, boarding the cargo door of the spaceship. Arleda marched back into the station, her shrill demands audible to Eden through the closed doors.

Eden blew a disgruntled raspberry at Arleda through her lips. She headed towards Thiago's ship as well, dragging her feet underneath her.

The wheels of Thiago's ship touched down soundlessly on a plot of land in the jungle surrounding Runic territory. Eden pressed her nose against the glass of her passenger window, inspecting her surroundings with bewildered fascination. Giant trees with lopsided trunks the height and width of Earth-sized industrial trucks jutted out from the land, disturbing the flat area around the clearing. The sticky leaves of trees stayed together naturally, forming long, swooping curls that looked like the limp crown of a jester's hat. Two-toned tulips budded out from the ends of leaves like little rusty bells.

Thiago unbuckled his restraint, rising from the pilot’s seat. "Okay, Eden, you'll have to wait here. Remember to keep the shields active this time. There's some leftover salad and honeyberry macaroons in the fridge if you get hungry."

"You can trust me. And I'm incredibly grateful for Arleda's portable television," added Eden, waving a twelve-inch flatscreen device in the air victoriously. "I guess it would be unrealistic to receive Earth broadcasts out here, but I'll make do. Stay safe, you guys. I, on the other hand, will sit back, relax, and watch whatever I can with a glass of bubbly by my side. And by bubbly, I mean my favorite soda."

"You can go ahead and keep the television. I've got three spares back home," said Arleda as she strapped on a striking pair of red multi-functional boots. "Eden, how is your self-defense training going with Thiago? I hope his vicious temper and dated methods haven't kept you from learning how to beat up bad guys."

"It can get pretty strenuous sometimes," Eden admitted with a shrug. "I have to say, Thiago's an excellent teacher. I didn't start from much, but I think I'm improving."

"Is that so?" said Arleda as she removed her weapon satchel from the hooks on the cockpit wall. "Why don't you come with us tonight? You can shadow me and give your skills a live test."

"Not a chance," interjected Thiago. "Eden doesn't have enough experience to get out on the field, and she might hurt herself."

"Where is she going to acquire real-world experience, if not in a real situation?" challenged Arleda, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't tell me you're afraid of that little runt Salabar? We will both be there! It's the safest scenario for Eden. You don't think I'd let anything happen to her under my watch, do you?"

"Well, no, but it doesn't make sense to take unnecessary risks."

"Hey," Eden called out, exhaling in frustration as she turned to face them in her swiveling chair. "I'm right here."

"My apologies, Eden," said Arleda as she checked the contents of her satchel. "I just think hands-on experience is the best way to learn. I would be delighted to teach you everything I know."

"I find it incredible I need to repeat myself," Thiago rumbled, his voice thick with annoyance. "But Eden's simply not ready for it."

"You know what? I think I'd like to take Arleda up on her offer," said Eden churlishly. Her arched brows practically merged at the center of her displeased, wrinkled forehead. She was frustrated with Thiago. Eden didn't like it when anyone took it upon themselves to speak for her. She wouldn't have tolerated it back on Earth, and she wasn't about to start now in space.

"Don't underestimate the Runics, especially Salabar and his crew," Thiago insisted, scowling at Eden. "They may look small, but they're swift and much stronger than their size would indicate. We aren't even halfway through your training yet."

"I know, but I think Arleda's correct. I'll need to step out of my comfort zone at some point." She looked at Thiago pointedly. "Granted, I could do with a little more target practice, but I think I know how to swing a windsor now."

Thiago shook his head, pulling down a lever to activate the shields.

Nothing happened.

He pulled the lever again, hoping that the same action would have different results this time, and made an exasperated sound when the shields refused to deploy. Pulling up a control panel on the dashboard screen, he began a troubleshooting procedure. He tried repeatedly but couldn't get the shields down. All his attempts resulted in irritating sounds reinforcing failure after failure.

"Unbelievable. The shields are not functioning," Thiago muttered, nearly crushing the shield lever in a last futile attempt. "That's strange. They seemed to have been working last night when I tested them."

"You should have gotten your ship checked out back at the station like I recommended," Arleda sang. She lifted up one side of her mouth. The gold flakes crusted on her lips shimmered under the cockpit lighting. Her face turned solemn. "There are a few ancient Runic tribes scattered all over the area. They are uncivilized, violently unstable, and don't need provocation to attack. Leaving Eden here without any sort of protection on your spaceship would be just as irresponsible, if not
more
dangerous, than bringing her with us."

Eden imagined a horde of angry Runics with bloodied spears, blasters, and bags of explosives strapped over their knobby little shoulders. Shuddering at the thought of a hundred slimy webbed hands pawing at her as they pinned her down, she leaped to her feet. The imagery was frightening and perhaps the product of a disturbed imagination, but she wasn't going to take any chances.

"I'm convinced now. I'm not staying here."

"Fine. I guess we're all going then," Thiago conceded. He took a quick look at Eden's outfit. It was a pink jumpsuit she had borrowed from Arleda. "You may want to change into something more water-resistant."

As if on cue, a brief burst of blinding lightning flashed outside the spaceship windows, followed by the ground-quaking roar of thunder. Waves of rain began pattering noisily against the ship top and windshields, solidifying his case.

"Thiago's right," said Arleda, reaching into her satchel. She switched on a computer and headed out the door without consulting with anyone. "Let me see if I can get a head start. It's going to be difficult locating Salabar's cavern in this terrible weather. "