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

by Ruby Dixon

  But Sleipnir “assists” me with that.

  Sure enough, my darling pet is sprawled in my flowerbed, licking his paw as if he has not a care in the world. He's squashed my flowers, breaking the tender stalks of the bright orange and yellow blooms. "Sleipnir!" I call out, chiding him as I approach. "You know you're not supposed to be there!"

  He gives me a bored look, then goes back to licking his toe beans.

  "God, you're worse than a cat," I grumble, gathering up my skirts and stepping over flowers to get to his sprawled body. I nudge him with my sandal. "Get up. Go on."

  With a groan, the carinoux gets to his feet, streeeeetches as if he has not a care in the world, and then ambles off. Meanwhile, I sigh at the destruction he's caused. Sure enough, the stalks of several flowers have snapped, and I pick the flowers to put in a vase. I can't be all that mad at him. He loves the flowers as much as I do, and at least now he doesn't poop on the tile. Instead, he always does his business in the dirt like a properly trained cat. I'm very proud of my boy for that, if nothing else. He's the best protector a girl could ask for, and if he stomps on a few flowers, I can't hold it against him.

  Once my flowers are gathered, I head for my garden. I transplanted everything from one of the back beds so I could have room for the vegetable seeds that Fran brought me on one of their runs last year. The garden is my pride and joy, and even if I don't know the first thing about alien plants, they grow like crazy and produce all kinds of delicious fruits and vegetables. I pluck a large green gourd that has a taste something like spinach but with the crisp bite of cucumber. It's delicious in the noodles, and it's my way of getting some greens into my man. He points out that the noodles are nutritionally balanced and he doesn't need to eat fresh vegetables, but I personally think they're good for us. It doesn't hurt to be a little more self-sufficient, and I'm tempted to clear another bed of wild vines to add more vegetables.

  Maybe next year. I touch my stomach again. Maybe if we have a baby.

  Flowers and vegetable in hand, I head toward the room I've set up as my kitchen. After I pointed out to Jerrok that the food preparation should be in a different area than his worktable, he spent two weeks setting up one of the cleared out rooms as a kitchen and dining room for me. Now I have a large hotplate that acts as my stove, two sinks, and cabinets for storing foodstuffs. I have a little table set up with chairs on the far side of the room, and there's even a pretty checkered tablecloth to cover my table, courtesy of Bethiah. I'm pretty sure she stole it from the cantina at the nearest space station because the pattern looks awfully familiar, but I don't care. All the stations treat humans like crap anyhow, and I'm never comfortable visiting. We've had to do it a few times for food supplies—Sleipnir eats a LOT—and it always makes me appreciate my nice, quiet home here with Jerrok in the asteroid belt.

  I love how remote it is. It doesn't feel lonely. It feels private. Cozy. And Jerrok and I never tire of each other's company. There's always something to do, something to scrap, a book to read and discuss, gardening to tend to, and Sleipnir is a delightful pet.

  I never thought I'd be so happy.

  Humming to myself, I get out a delicate crystal vase—a gift that Jerrok saw at a trader's stall on a station visit and bought for me—and fill it with the flowers, arranging the only-slightly-smashed blooms so they look their best. I chop vegetables after that, making an enormous pot of noodles, since Bethiah will be here shortly.

  Bethiah. I sigh. I suppose in-laws of all kinds are a trial, no matter where you are in the universe. She's Jerrok's family, though, and so I smile and tolerate her visits even when I'd like for her to take a long walk off a short pier. She has her good moments, of course, like when she sat on my bounty until it expired, and then let me know that my old master declined to renew it. But then there are the times that Bethiah has done small, irritating things—like constantly trying to bring Jerrok on a drinking trip while I stayed home. Or the time she brought him a sex robot and gave it my name.

  She loves Jerrok. Because of that, I tolerate her…but just barely. I know she's afraid I'll somehow hurt him, but you'd think that since we've been together almost two years now that she'd stop with her little comments. Not Bethiah.

  Grumpily, I add more diced vegetables to the noodles and hope she hates them.

  I move the noodles to the warmer just as the perimeter alarm pings with an alert. "Ship approaching. Identification: The Pleasure Spot."

  I make a face at the ship's name—funny that Jamef let her keep it after all she put him through, but I suspect Bethiah never tells us the full story of what's going on between them. I wipe my hands and smooth a piece of hair back into my braid at the same time that Sleipnir pads into the hall and moves to my side. By this time, my carinoux knows what those alarms mean, and he sticks to me like glue whenever there's someone visiting. He's still a little clingy, my poor love, but something tells me he might always be.

  I run into Jerrok in the hall. He's switched to a different, clean uniform, his shaggy hair pulled back into a neat queue at the base of his neck. "You look nice," I tell him, beaming. He's so handsome, my mate. I could look at him for hours and never get tired of it.

  He puts a hand to the small of my back as we turn down the hall, and I notice he's walking faster than usual. His new prosthetic leg has made a huge difference in his gait, and my heart swells with happiness to know he's not in pain. Zakoar of the Broken Back is as good as his word, never rips us off with his pricing, and he's always fair. He's gone a lot, though, so we haven't been able to finish getting Jerrok's prosthetics all switched out. He's got one leg left to go, and we're saving up for that. But with his new arm, a new leg, and synthetic bracing along his spine, Jerrok stands straight and tall, my handsome mesakkah, and best of all, he doesn't wake up in pain. His old leg drags just a little, but Jerrok swears the pain is almost nothing at all, and he smiles a lot more lately.

  Plus…the sex has been intense. I suck in a little breath at that, thinking about last night and how he made me come for hours before he finally took his own pleasure. Stamina is definitely not an issue. Not anymore.

  "You're blushing," Jerrok murmurs as he glances over at me. "Thinking about last night?"

  I'm so obvious. "Maybe."

  He grins at me, still smugly pleased at how much he made me scream last night, as if he doesn't thoroughly please me in bed as it is. "Today's your birthday. We'll have to do something special tonight to celebrate."

  "God help me," I tease, even as my insides clench with anticipation. How is it that sex still hasn't gotten old with him? We're still all over each other like newlyweds, and I've never had a bad experience with him. I trust him completely and maybe tonight…we'll try something new. Maybe tonight we'll give doggy-style a go. I think with Jerrok, it might be okay.

  With Jerrok, it might be great.

  I bite my lip, giving him a look of promise.

  My mate groans, pulling me close and giving me a hard kiss, his tongue grazing over the seam of my mouth before he pulls away. "You're going to make me want to toss you into bed and forget all about your party."

  "Promises promises," I tease, breathless. "It's my birthday, right? Maybe we just tell her we called the whole thing off and go spend time together in our nice big bed." I smooth a hand down the front of his chest. We switched the beds out and now the biggest bed is the one we share, and it's made sex…well, sex has always been fantastic, but now we're not squeezed up against the wall.

  But Jerrok shakes his head. "Bethiah has to come. She's bringing your present."

  "I'm getting a present?" I blink at him in surprise. "I thought we weren't going to do a gift?" He doesn't want to celebrate his birthday, so I asked for no gifts because I didn't want him spending money on me when he could be saving up for his final prosthetic. I'd much rather have him get his limbs all taken care of instead of getting something for myself.

  Jerrok just gives me a cagey look. "It's something Bethiah ran across in her travels and I tol
d her to bring it. I promise you'll love it."

  "It better not be another human," I grumble. Bethiah's suggested it before, and I think in her mind, if one human is a party in bed, two will be a delight. She doesn't seem to get that I'm territorial…or maybe she does and just likes needling me. Either way, I will absolutely scratch the eyes out of any woman that looks at my mate, and then send her packing to the nearest farm planet.

  My mate laughs. "It's not a human, I promise. You're the only female I'd ever want—human or otherwise."

  I slide my hand into his, because I know this is true. "All right, I won't kill Bethiah, then. Is it a book?" I'm excited at the prospect. My little library is growing by leaps and bounds—I have six books now—but I dream of someday having an entire wall of reading material. Jerrok has let his clients know that if they run across any sorts of “human oddities” that he'll pay well, and the other day someone brought a trio of old soda cans and acted like they were priceless treasures. I giggled to see the junk…but Jerrok bought them anyhow, and they do make me smile. They're cleaned up and set in a place of honor in my library, just because.

  "You'll see," is all he says, and he knows that makes me crazy.

  "You know I hate surprises—"

  "You won't hate this one. I promise." He gives my hand a squeeze and I hold back my reservations. He's so excited to give me this gift that I don't want to ruin it for him.

  We enter the docking bay, currently occupied only by The Pleasure Spot. In classic Bethiah form, the ship is haphazardly parked in the middle of the bay, taking up enough space for three ships. She bounds down the ramp, her beaded braids swinging, a wide smile on her face. She's wearing a blindingly bright skin-tight jumper of bright green that looks as if it was painted onto her lithe form, and in her arms she carries a plain metal box. "Jerrok! Cousin!"

  "Glad you could make it," he tells her, moving forward to clasp forearms with his cousin.

  Bethiah looks over at me and gives a little sniff, as if she's just tolerating me. "Softie. Happy birthing day." She holds the box out to me. "I am told these noodles taste like human cakes, so Jerrok insisted I bring a box for you."

  Noodles that taste like cake? I'm a little wary of the thought. I sniff the box and there's a smell that wafts up…and it is not cake. It's more like…old socks. Body odor. Something definitively not cake-like in the slightest. "We'll have to eat them later," I tell them both apologetically. "I just made a huge pot of noodles with fresh veg. But thank you for the present. You were right, Jerrok. It wasn't what I was expecting." I smile at my mate, because it's a thoughtful gift if nothing else. How many times has he heard me long for chocolate or cake when I'm on my period? He always remembers everything I say, and I'm the luckiest woman alive to have a guy as attentive as he is.

  Bethiah and Jerrok exchange a look. "That's not the present," Jerrok says after a moment, and his expression is so very gleeful.

  "It's not?" I look at their two grinning faces in confusion. "There's more?"

  "Oh kef me, yes there's more," Bethiah says. "And I can't wait to offload this particular one." She nudges Jerrok forcefully and then heads back up the ramp into her ship. "Wait here."

  I watch Jerrok, but he only grins with pure delight, as if he can't wait to see my reaction. I'm utterly mystified—what is this gift that's so exciting to both of them and Bethiah is more than ready to get rid of it? Is it more human stuff? That's kind of exciting, I wouldn't mind seeing something like a board game, or even a deck of playing cards because—

  My train of thoughts dies as Bethiah comes out of the ship with her arms full of iridescent scales and wiggling legs.

  A little squeal erupts from my throat.

  It's a carinoux. A baby one, from the size of it. It makes a kittenish mewling noise and then licks Bethiah's wrist, long tongue snaking out between tiny little fangs. The little carinoux has the biggest eyes, and my heart melts as Bethiah pries it off her wrist and holds the squirming, wriggling thing out to me.

  "Oh my god," I whimper as I take the baby into my arms. "How on earth did you get this?"

  The little carinoux immediately latches onto me with all of its legs and begins to lick my chin with a raspy tongue. It's warm and heavy and little claws are pricking into my skin, but I absolutely do not care. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. At my side, Sleipnir sniffs it, pushing his nose against the baby's skin and whuffing.

  I turn to Jerrok, utterly shocked. "How did you afford—"

  He shakes his head, raising his hands in the air in denial. "This is all Bethiah. I just told her you might be interested."

  "Lies." Bethiah rolls her eyes. "The moment he heard I had a baby, he wanted me to bring it for you. He thought you might like it." She reaches out and scratches at the small ears. "It's a girl, by the way. Maybe you can breed them."

  "Oh, but…" The baby carinoux continues to lick my chin, raspy tongue abrading my skin. I wince and continue to snuggle it against my chest. "They're so expensive."

  "They are, but this one was going to be put down. The people that were supposed to be buying it ended up being allergic. It went to a second buyer but it's a bit of a chewer, and they suggested I find a home for it. I got it dirt cheap."

  "Should we take it back to its homeworld?" I bite my lip, worried. Sleipnir is super smart, and I don't want to keep an intelligent animal from its home if it can feasibly go back. "It doesn't seem fair to keep her if she can go home."

  "This one can't," Bethiah says bluntly. "It comes from a line of genetically modified ones that have been bred for docility. She'd get eaten alive if you dropped her on that planet." She shakes her head, still scratching the small bud ears. "Don't know why you'd want to breed docility into a protector-kin, but that might also be why she was cheap to buy. No one wants a lazy protector."

  I press a kiss to the leathery little snout, already in love. "I want her."

  Jerrok's been quiet this whole time. He watches me, his expression tight. "You sure? I don't want you to feel pressured." It's like he's suddenly realizing that springing a pet on someone for a gift isn't the best idea.

  But this baby? This carinoux? I'm thrilled. Sometimes I worry that I'm so caught up with Jerrok—and him with me—that we don't have enough time for Sleipnir. I feel guilty every time we kick my pet out of the bedroom so we can make love. If he has a companion to snuggle with, he'll be happier…and I'm all for growing our odd family.

  I kiss her snout again. "Her name is Freyja," I decide, to keep in theme with Norse mythology. "Sleipnir, say hello to your new girlfriend. She's a little young for you, but I trust you to be a gentleman." I set her down on the floor next to him and watch them.

  Freyja blinks her eyes up at the full-sized Sleipnir, and then rolls onto her belly, wiggling like a puppy.

  Sleipnir makes a sound that sounds awfully close to disgust, drops to his feet, and begins to lick the kitten. It immediately curls up between his front paws, and he continues to wash it as if he's disgusted at what a mess she is. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

  Second cutest. I turn to my mate, a sharp look in my eyes. I grab him by the front of his tunic. "You. I need to see you alone for a minute." My voice is hard and stern. "Bethiah, you'll have to excuse us for a moment. We need to discuss something."

  "Someone's in trouble," she singsongs. "I'll hang out here with them. Call me when dinner's ready."

  I nod and take Jerrok by the hand, dragging him behind me. He doesn't protest, just lets me haul him through the station until we're far enough away that I feel we can talk without his cousin listening in. The closest room is the nearly empty library, and I pull him inside and slam the button for the door to shut behind us.

  "Sophie," Jerrok says in that calm, reasonable tone he uses when I'm hormonal. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought you might like another pet—"

  I grab his collar, drag him down to my level, and kiss him silly.

  He groans, pulling back and looking at me with confusion. "You…I can
't tell if you're mad or not."

  "I'm not mad," I tell him, touching the auto-fastener on the front of his jumper. "You're amazing and I love you and I want to have sex. Right now." My hands are frantic as I pull at his clothing.

  "My cousin—"

  "I don't care if she hears us," I tell him, my hands sliding to his cock even as his clothing pools around his ankles. I grab him and drop to my knees, taking this pierced wonder into my mouth and dragging my tongue over it. "I need you. Need to show you what an amazing man you are and how much I love you. How much I want you."

  He groans, caressing my cheek. "Sophie…kef me…I love you so much."

  I give him a sloppy lick, dragging my tongue along the underside of his cock. "I want to try something different right now," I tell him. "Will you do it with me?"

  The look he gives me is full of questions, even as he caresses my cheek. "What do you want?"

  Dragging my tongue around one of his piercings, I give him a playful look. "I want you to take me from behind."

  My mate stiffens, a look of concern on his face. "You don't have to do that—"

  "I know." I press a kiss to the head of his cock, then catch a bead of pre-cum with my tongue before it slides down the tip. "But…I want to try it."

  "Now?"

  Now's as good a time as any. I nod, and Jerrok puts his arm down, indicating I should take his hand. I do, and he gives me a thoughtful look, tracing the lines of my jaw with his free hand as he studies my face. If he's looking for a hint of worry, he won't find it. I trust Jerrok completely, and it's been so long since I've thought about my former life that I feel like it no longer has any hold on me.

  I want to do this, because then I'll truly be free.

  "If you get scared," he warns.

  "I know. I promise I'll say something." I put a hand on his chest and kiss his skin, then the plating over his heart. "Don't you want to make love to me?"