When She Belongs: A SciFi Alien Romance (A Risdaverse Tale Book 4)

by Ruby Dixon

  Even so, I'm a little on edge. Not because I'm afraid for my own safety, but because I'm worried Jerrok's hopes are going to be up and we won't be able to get him the help he needs. I glance over at him. He's got a pack slung crosswise over his body, and his old prosthetic is in it. His empty sleeve is pinned up, and though he hasn't said anything, I sense he feels awkward without his arm. He's been quiet and pensive lately, and it's been days and days since we've had sex, thanks to Sleipnir's clinginess. It's stressful, but I'm with Jerrok through good and bad. If this Zakoar guy can't help him, we'll figure something else out. I'm not giving up on Jerrok. Not now, not ever.

  I want to hold his hand, but I know I can't. He's got it resting at his belt, just in case he has to pull a blaster out, so I just move a little closer to him to let him know I'm here. He glances over at me and smiles, and I feel his tail tuck into my belt, as if he's going to hold me close no matter what. I'll take it.

  The crowds of Three Nebulas watch us with interest, several murmuring at the carinoux as we walk past. I see faces of all kinds here, aliens of all shapes and sizes wander past, and there's a chatter of voices in a hundred dialects. Somewhere in the distance there's reedy music playing, and as I pass by a cantina, a naked human woman dances and gyrates in a window, a slim golden chain attached to one ankle. I pause to look at her face, wondering if she's someone I knew, but Alyvos takes my arm and steers me back toward our group. "You can't save them all, Sophie."

  I know that. It's one of the hardest lessons I've learned out here in space. Still, my heart goes out to the woman in the window, and I hope her master is kind to her.

  "This way," Tarekh says, glaring at a cloaked merchant that wanders too close.

  Jerrok puts an arm around my waist and pulls me against him, and I wonder if it's for my benefit or his. I hold onto his belt as we duck into a shop with a scrawl of alien language written across the door and no other decoration. Inside, it's dark and crowded, machinery parts hanging from every conceivable surface and from the ceiling like the world's ugliest wind chimes. They clank and rattle against each other as the men duck inside, and Alyvos heads to the counter, banging a fist on it.

  Jerrok just holds me tighter, practically squeezing me against him, and I know he's nervous.

  Someone stomps out of the back rooms. "I'm coming. Hold yer keffing sac." A moment later, a large male alien ducks out of a back room, sending more parts clattering, and then unfurls himself to his full height.

  It's a mesakkah, but he looks like no mesakkah I've ever seen before. He's big and bald, and a large portion of his skull on the left side is covered in an enormous metal plate. The horn on the other side of his head is gone, filed down to nothing, and the entire right-hand side of his jaw is silver, matching the plate on the side of his head. As he straightens, I see he's wearing little more than a harness over his chest, but his skin looks as if it's three different shades of blue, and I wonder just how much of him is prosthetic and pieced together.

  He's more than slightly alarming looking, his eyes hard, and I instinctively step closer to Jerrok.

  The man's gaze rests on me for a moment, and then on Jerrok. "Shouldn't parade your human around on this station, friend. It ain't safe."

  "Sophie goes where she wants," Jerrok replies. "And she's well protected."

  I put my hand on Sleipnir's head, just to make sure my bossy pet is there. He is…and he's licking the nearest metal object as if he's a kid in a candy store. Discreetly, I nudge him with my boot, trying to get him to stop.

  "I've brought a friend that needs your services," Alyvos says, gesturing at Jerrok.

  The alien man that must be Zakoar of the Broken Back just grunts. "I figured as much. Didn't think you were here for social visits." He crosses his arms over his chest, and as he does, I notice his bare arms practically…glitter…with even more metal just under the skin. It makes me wonder what that's all about, but I don't suppose I care much. I just need him to help Jerrok. Zakoar glances over at Jerrok. "Well?"

  Jerrok strides forward, and as much as I want to cling to him, I stay where I am. I watch as he takes a small, hand-sized case out of his pocket and sets it on the counter. He pushes it toward Zakoar with his good hand. "What can you do with that?"

  Zakoar flips the lid open and pulls one of the credit chips out. They're stacked in there, like thick playing cards, and I know all of them are unmarked and untrackable—and therefore a hot currency amongst the pirate types. The alien grunts, glancing up at Jerrok. "I can do a lot with this, but not all at once. You wouldn't survive it." He pulls out a stack and sets it down on the counter, then closes the box and pushes it back toward Jerrok. "Start with one. If you like my services, you can come back and spend the rest some other time."

  I'm a little disappointed that Jerrok can't get everything done today, but I appreciate that this Zakoar guy is cautious. He's not going to try to do more than Jerrok can handle comfortably, and for some reason, that eases a lot of my fears.

  "Arm first," Jerrok says. He pulls the bag off his shoulder and sets it on the counter. "I need it reattached."

  Zakoar takes the arm out of the satchel and studies it for a moment. His lip curls. "You want this piece of shit back on you?"

  "You got any better options?" Jerrok retorts.

  "As a matter of a fact, I do." Zakoar opens the box of credits, takes out another stack and pockets them, then nods in the direction of the back of the shop. "Follow me."

  As he turns, I see that his spine is a lattice of metal bars and tubes that weave in and out of his skin. I suck in a breath. Zakoar of the Broken Back, indeed.

  84

  JERROK

  I flex my new hand, marveling at it.

  The fingers move fluidly, without effort. The wrist turns fully. The fist I make is tight. Nothing creaks, and best of all, there's not an endless wave of feedback feeding into my head of circuits going offline, or system errors. It's all…quiet. I woke up from my sleep and there was…no pain.

  My arm was back…and better.

  "It do for you?" Zakoar asks in a terse voice, putting back several of his tools.

  "Best prosthetic I've had yet," I admit, still marveling at how…easy moving my hand feels. I didn't realize how much effort the other one was until I got the new one. With my other hand, I touch my shoulder, marveling at the fact that there's no exposed wiring, no new ugly ripples of scar tissue. Even the skin tone matches close to my own.

  Zakoar grunts. "Not much of a compliment there. Whoever gave you those parts should be in prison."

  "Probably are." I flex the hand again. "You can replace my legs, too?"

  He nods. "Eventually. Give that one a run for a month, make sure you don't have any problems. If you do, come and see me. Repairs are on the house—I guarantee my work. Then, if you're happy…" Zakoar dips his head in acknowledgment. "You come back."

  "I will." I'm already planning on it. If all of my limbs can feel this light…the thought is staggering. I don't even care that Zakoar just cleaned me out of more credits than my shuttle cost me. My arm feels amazing. "You're good at your work."

  The smile he gives me is thin, half of his mouth frozen by the metal of his jaw. "Got lots of practice in the war." He gestures at my heavy legs. "Can't do much for those today, but I updated a few chips and replaced some faulty wiring while you were under, so they shouldn't give you as many problems as they have. It'll hold you over until you come back." He pulls out a rag and wipes oil off his hands.

  "My thanks."

  The male glances at me. "Your human nearly came unglued when I worked on your legs. I thought she was going to scratch my eyes out. Had to remove her from the room."

  Automatically, I search for Sophie. She's in the next room over, her face pressed against the glass, a frown on her lips as if she's displeased with being out there instead of at my side. Alyvos has a hand on her shoulder, which irks me, but when I see Sophie impatiently try to head for the door again and he stops her, I suspect it has more t
o do with keeping her out there than touching what's mine.

  Our eyes meet and I nod at her.

  Sophie calms. She gives me a thumbs up, a question in her eyes.

  I give her a thumbs up with my new hand and can't stop the grin on my face.

  She grins back.

  I glance at Zakoar. "She's as protective of me as I am of her."

  His expression is impossible to read. "Is she your slave?"

  My protectiveness flares and I narrow my eyes at him, flexing my hand. "Why do you ask?"

  Zakoar continues to wipe his hands, his expression calm. "I do not want to buy her. I ask because I know of a planet where humans are safe…if she is on the run. A farm planet. It is supposed to be a good place for them." He pauses for a moment. "So I hear."

  "I can take care of my mate," I growl at him.

  "I did not say you couldn't." He tosses the rag over his shoulder. "Come then. Let us get your mate before she claws her way through the glass."

  I hop off of the operating table and notice that my legs seem to be running smoother as well. There's no shockwave from impact, no ripple of parts reacting as my feet land on the ground. My limbs are still too heavy but…it's better. I head toward Sophie, unable to stop the smile from spreading even wider across my face.

  New limbs and a fierce mate at my side. Truly, no male is luckier than I am.

  "Are you sure you won't come with us?" Zoey asks the next day as I run the final diagnostics through the Little Sister's renewed systems. I glance up from my data pad and look over at Sophie. We've talked about this already, but I'm willing to change my plans at a moment's notice if that's what my female wants.

  But Sophie shakes her head, her hands on Sleipnir as the carinoux does his best to crawl into her lap and cuddle up. My mate is seated in one of the chairs on the bridge, but it's entirely not big enough for her and an eight-limbed beast, and neither one of them seems to realize it, because Sophie tries to make room for the damned creature. "We'd just be in the way, Zoey. With Sleipnir acting like he is now, I can't leave his side for an instant, and Jerrok and I have decided we can't sell him no matter what. We're better off taking the Sister somewhere safe and waiting for your return rather than just eating up your supplies…or the walls of your ship." She pats the carinoux's nose with a wry look.

  Just this morning we woke up to Sleipnir chewing on the comm panel's wiring in our room, so Sophie's not wrong. Given free time and some boredom, the carinoux could do some serious damage to the Sister. At least back on my station there's plenty of room to move around and the terrarium. Sleipnir is easier there. Here, he's anxious and clingy.

  He also sleeps between me and Sophie each night, and that needs to come to an end. I miss my mate. I want to claim her body. I want to kiss her all over…without our eight-legged companion watching my every move and deciding if I'm hurting her or not.

  "If you're sure," Zoey says, sighing.

  "I'm sure. You know where they are," Sophie says encouragingly. "You just need to hunt down this lord guy and find out where they're hiding out. Your brothers probably have a million hiding spots in the galaxy. They might just be lying low from bounty hunters. And if you need us, you know where we'll be."

  She glances over at me, a look of promise in her eyes. Ever since we've left Three Nebulas, Sophie's been very clear as to our plans for the future. The run-in with the V'tarrians scared her, and not for herself. She's been extremely protective of both me and Sleipnir since that day, hovering over me and touching my arm constantly, as if reminding herself that I'm right next to her. At night, she holds onto me despite the enormous beast sleeping between us. And when I finished my business with Zakoar, Sophie made it clear to me.

  She wanted to go home.

  Home to my asteroid. Home to my station, where no one bothers the two of us. Home, where we can scrap and make love and sit under the leaves of the overgrown plants in the terrarium. Home, where we can be alone together. I never thought I'd meet a female who liked being left alone as much as I do, but Sophie is absolutely my match in that respect. She doesn't complain about being around the others constantly, but I can tell. There's an easing to her shoulders when we're alone together, as if she can finally relax.

  "We'll keep the Little Sister safe for your brothers," Sophie promises. "She'll be home, with us."

  Kef me, but I like the sound of that.

  85

  SOPHIE

  I sigh with relief when the Little Sister lands gently inside the docking bay at Jerrok's station.

  Home.

  It's been over a week now since we parted ways with the others. I can tell Zoey is disappointed by my choice, but after our attack? I refuse to put Sleipnir or Jerrok in danger again. I came too close to losing both of them, and the sight of both in the tubes in med-bay is going to be forever ingrained in my mind. I care for Adiron, Mathiras and Kaspar, but as I told Zoey, we'd be more hinderance than help. Jerrok's left a plentiful share of his credits with the crew of the Jabberwock, along with most of his weapons, and we piloted the Little Sister back to his remote, lonely asteroid belt.

  I haven't slept a wink since we boarded the Sister, and I'm exhausted.

  Jerrok reassures me that no one can be hiding on the ship again. That the Little Sister's computers were wiped clean and reprogrammed with duplicates from the Jabberwock. That there can't be anyone fooling the readings again, and the deceptive programming the V'tarrians filled the computers with has been removed. That every inch of the ship has been triple-checked, every hollow panel and hidey-hole investigated and there are no stowaways.

  Doesn't matter. I still won't relax until we're safe. And once the Sister sets down and the bay doors close behind us, my ears popping as atmosphere floods into the bay, I feel all the worry sliding off my shoulders.

  I feel like I can finally relax. Like we're home.

  I let out a long, slow sigh the moment Jerrok powers down the Little Sister. He flexes his new hand, something he's been doing a lot lately, and he told me he does it now not because it pains him, but because he likes the feel of it moving, how fluid it is. I get that, and it fills me with a sweet ache every time I see him do it. He turns to me, a watchful expression on his face. "We're here."

  "We are," I agree, leaning back in my chair and closing my eyes. It's so quiet. It's the first time I haven't heard the hum of the ship's engines in a while and it feels strange. There's a grunt behind us, and I hear the pad of Sleipnir's many feet on the floor. I turn around and he's looking at us with a bright, alert expression on his face, like a dog that just heard someone pick up his leash. I chuckle at the sight of him. "Are we home, baby boy?"

  "Baby boy?" Jerrok gives me an incredulous look. "That thing takes shits bigger than you."

  "Funny, considering you thought I was the one shitting on your floor at first," I tease, getting out of my chair. I groan like an old woman as the gravity of the station hits me, and when Jerrok pulls me into his lap, I don't protest. I just snuggle against him, tucking my head along the curve of his neck. "It's good to be home."

  "We aren't even inside yet," he murmurs, stroking his fingers up my back.

  "Doesn't matter. Feels better already."

  Jerrok's fingers lightly move up my spine. His new hand again, I realize. There's no welcome creak to his movements, no slightly-too-heavy heft to his hand, and it fills me with a twinge of longing. I liked all those small things about him because it always told me that this was my Jerrok. It's selfish to miss them, because I know more than anyone else how much they pained him. I'm just going to have to get used to his new hand.

  I press a kiss to his neck, my mind automatically thinking of filthy things we can do with that hand.

  Sleipnir makes his impatient coughing bark again, and this time, Jerrok sighs. "I should check out the station before it's safe for you to go in, love. Just to be on the safe side."

  "Mmm." I'm sleepy, curled up in his arms, and comfortable. Not yet ready to move. "What do the computers say?"


  He presses a light kiss to my forehead. "They say everything's fine, but after what happened, I don't trust the computers, do you?"

  Fair enough. I whine only a little as he gets to his feet and carefully sets me back in the chair again. He checks his weapons, strapping them to his waist, and as he leans over me to tap at something on the comm panel of the ship, his crotch is practically in my face.

  It gives me so many ideas. I run a hand lightly up his thigh, humming to myself.

  Jerrok groans, his fingers brushing over my jaw as he straightens. "I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready to have some time alone."

  "I am," I whisper, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his flat stomach through his clothing, even as my hand moves to his cock.

  "Let me check out the station, love. I'll get Sleipnir settled in the terrarium with a new chew and then you and I can be alone together. Sound good?"

  "Sounds perfect." Reluctantly, I drop my hands and watch him as he touches the carinoux's head, scratching at the perfect spot just behind Sleipnir's ears. I'm not entirely surprised to see the carinoux go down the ramp with Jerrok as he heads into the station. Sleipnir's becoming just as possessive of Jerrok as he is of me, which I love. We're a perfect little family, just the three of us.

  Smiling at that thought, I curl up in Jerrok's chair—it's still warm from his body heat—and wait for them to return. My eyes drift shut and I yawn. Hopefully they won't be gone too long, and we can have dinner, and a shower, and some toe-curling sex…

  I’m asleep before I realize it.

  86

  JERROK

  I check every room in the station twice, just because I'm paranoid about failing Sophie again. She doesn't blame me for what happened on the Little Sister, but it doesn't matter. I'm going to forever blame myself, and the sound of her weeping as she was held captive will forever be etched into my mind. Sleipnir's not the only one that's been clingy and paranoid since the incident.