Hunted by the Alien Pirate: Mates of the Kilgari

by Kyle, Celia

  “Well, no… Zander and I thought we’d have been clear of it by now,” she says, pushing her glasses up her nose.

  “How long do we have before this place is completely leveled?” I ask, tightening my grasp on Montier’s hand.

  “Probably another three minutes, so we better haul ass!” Zander calls from the front of line.

  “Thrase, if we get out of this alive, will you permit me to give you some lessons in using your brain?” I ask, unable to stop myself.

  “I think her problem is she uses her brain a little too much!” Montier growls, pulling me forward.

  We’ve nearly reached the bar. The group of fleeing occupants is starting to thin out as many of them have already made it through the main doors. I chance a look over my shoulder to ensure everyone else is still with us and am relieved when I lock eyes with both Varia and Solair. Solair, a captain to his very core, is positioned at the back of our group to ensure everyone remains together.

  It causes my heart to swell when I think of how even though things have changed so much for my race, at the core so many have stayed the same and even across the entire galaxy. Solair is a Kilgari pirate, but even he still subscribes to the old human adage: a captain always goes down with his ship.

  But not today. For the first time since I arrived at the auction house, I feel hope beginning to build. We’re going to get out of here, all of us, alive.

  When we finally reach the bar, Montier grabs me around the waist and hoists me up over it. He follows suit as Zander assists Thrase and Grantian does the same for Lamira.

  “I’m taking point to get us all outside,” Grantian says. “Lamira, you, Fiona, and Thrase come with me. Montier and Zander, help the other women over the counter and send them our way. Once everyone’s over, you’ll take up the rear with Varia and Solair. Swipt knows to meet us around this side.”

  I don’t want to leave Montier and I can tell he’s not keen on the idea of us being separated either, but the auction guards, the Kraaj mercs, and the IHC commander are nowhere to be seen. It seems we’ve finally turned a corner with our luck.

  “Go, Fiona. I’ll meet you outside,” Montier says with an encouraging smile, and it’s all I need to press on.

  I fall in behind Grantian and Lamira with Thrase close behind. The other women begin to follow us as well in a single-file line to the exit. Grantian pulls his pistol from its holster and presses an ear to the door before swinging it wide. He looks outside for only a moment before returning his gaze to Lamira and nodding. The coast is clear.

  “Let’s move.”

  I ignore the ache in my feet and step up the pace, following close behind. After being inside the dim building for so long, I’m nearly blinded by the brightness of the sun and automatically lift an arm to shield my eyes. Just as we reach the corner of the building, we’re greeted by the most wonderful sight. The burnished and gleaming hull of the Ancestral Queen hovers just above the ground with her ramp already down, ready to receive us back into her loving embrace.

  It could be the glare of the sun, but it looks like she’s been outfitted with two long-range, high-caliber guns, both of which are trained on the building and willing to fire at a moment’s notice. Such powerful weapons will definitely make anyone trying to hinder our escape think twice about doing so.

  I can see Swipt through the windows of the bridge from where I stand, hands still on the controls even as he leans forward to peer down at us. A huge grin spreads across his face as he catches my eye, clearly glad to see the rescue mission has been a success and that I’ve been recovered alive.

  Grantian stops before the ramp and assists Lamira and Thrase up onto it. Although Swipt’s the steadiest-handed pilot I’ve ever had the pleasure to fly with, the wind is picking up and causing the Queen to drift. Climbing the ramp is our last hurdle to safety, but thankfully Ilya appears to be clipped in at the top somehow and is reaching out to pull everyone aboard.

  Except for me. I’m not getting on until I see Montier.

  “Get on the ramp, Fiona!” Grantian barks at me in the harsh voice of Solair’s second-in-command, but I’m not having it.

  “Not until Montier is out of the building! He came back for me. He was prepared to die for me, and I’m not leaving without him!” I yell at the ex-merc.

  As the newly instated nav officer, I’m technically part of the crew and have just disobeyed a direct order. He could discipline me for insubordination, but I don’t care. I’m not getting on that ship without my jalshagar.

  Thankfully, moments later Montier exits the building with Zander, Varia, and Solair by his side, each loaded up with the bags of the stolen money. He rushes to me and doesn’t say a word as he grabs me into his arms and then lifts me onto the ramp. I scramble up it, actually thankful to be barefoot for the first time since it helps me grip the metal plating a little better, and grab Ilya’s outstretched hand. Her grip is firm and warm and the smile on her face is so wide is shows nearly all her perfect, gleaming teeth.

  She pulls me into a hard embrace before pulling me fully onboard.

  “Thank goodness you’re alright!” she cries over the nearly deafening roar of the engines.

  “Hardly a scratch on me,” I say with a laugh, even though it’s a lie. My entire body aches. “Where’d you get the new merchandise?”

  She knows I’m referring to the new guns, but she says nothing in response. Her only answer comes in the form of a mischievous wink. I can’t help but laugh as I realize we’re both pirates now.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Montier

  I’ve got to hand it to my apprentice. The newly mounted “guns” affixed to the front of the Queen sure are impressive.

  “What’d you make our new weapons out of, Ilya? Copper alloy?” I ask her.

  “Actually, no. I resorted to something a little more…organic,” she replies as she releases Fiona from her embrace.

  I blink in confusion, wondering what organic material could possibly serve as a decoy for a mounted long gun. Ilya laughs out loud at the look on my face.

  “They’re broomsticks. Swipt and I found some extra black paint lying around and got a little creative while you were planet-side rescuing our little Fiona,” she says.

  Her admission causes me to laugh outright. Leave it to Ilya to rework a broomstick to appear threatening.

  “I assume you’ve completed a preliminary check of the engines?” I ask her, watching as she engages the ramp retractor.

  “I have, but if you have the time you should recheck. You know this bird better than I do,” she says.

  It’s exactly what I was thinking. I know Solair has already warned Swipt that we’re going to need to make a quick burn through the atmosphere of this planet, so I need to make sure the engines can handle it. Even though I know Ilya’s more than capable, she hasn’t been part of the Queen’s crew as long as I have and she’s unfamiliar with the ship’s quirks.

  This would be the exact worst time for the ship to fail us. Even though the IHC commander and Kraaj mercs didn’t show their hideous faces again, I have no idea if they watched us escape or not. If they have, it’s entirely possible they’ll send someone after us—possibly and an entire fleet. We’ll need all systems running smoothly if we want a hope in hell of outwitting them.

  Being constantly on the run is starting to exhaust me. I hope I at least get a day or two to spend in bed with Fiona before it all starts up again. With our luck, we’ll be on the move again before we know it, but as long as I get some time alone with her, I’ll find a way to survive.

  It takes some time for us to reach the engine block. Because the Queen is an older ship, she’s full of narrow corridors and twisting ladders. I try to go as fast as I can without losing Fiona, who’s never been this far into the belly of the beast. I’m impressed with how she keeps up with me, even in that ridiculous garment and bare feet.

  She’s gathered most of the outfit up into her arms so it doesn’t catch on any of the protruding pipes
and metal, the diaphanous material so sheer I can see the flush of her skin right through it. Now’s not the time for my thoughts to wander to the feel of her milky, soft skin against mine, but I’m a hot-blooded male who’s just confirmed my bond with my jalshagar. It goes against my chemical makeup to not have constant thoughts of bedding my mate, no matter how tense the situation I find myself in may be.

  As I assist Fiona down the final ladder, she slips deliciously into my arms and presses herself against me. I’m not quite sure she means to do it, but I delight in her touch, nonetheless.

  “We’re nearly there,” I tell her reassuringly.

  “I’m okay. Just keep going,” she says.

  I grab her hand to lead her the rest of the way. Again, she presses her body against mine and I have to mentally check myself to keep my focus.

  All in good time, Montier. All in good time.

  The main engine room is loud and noisy, all the pistons holding just below full throttle. I know Swipt is waiting for my go-ahead before he pushes us into full speed, so I race to the control panels to begin my regular system checks. The readings look fine, except for one. It appears one of the ion thrusters is offline.

  “Fucking fuck—of all days for this to be down!” I exclaim aloud.

  “Is there anything I can do?” Fiona asks, immediately at my side.

  “No. It’s not a computer issue. It’s a physical problem. There’s a switch that sometimes gets jammed. It’s something I’ve never been able to permanently fix because I’m too large to fit inside the shaft. I’ve only ever been able to do a shoddy patch job,” I tell her.

  “Well I’m tiny. I’m sure I could fit. What do you need me to do?” she asks.

  “It’s too risky, Fiona. I won’t send you into the propulsion system when you barely have a clue what you’re doing,” I tell her.

  “With all due respect, my love, we don’t have the time for your chivalrous bullshit. Tell me what to do,” she says.

  From the look on her face, I know I’m not going to win this fight. Quickly, I lead her to the propulsion unit and show her exactly where she needs to go. It’s not far from where I stand, but it’s through a series of pipes and wires and I’ve only ever been able to get to the switch by removing some of the surrounding panels when we were completely grounded—never while actually in flight.

  “Is it this red switch or the yellow one?” I hear Fiona call from inside the maze.

  “The yellow one. Don’t touch the red one or we’ll never get off this rock!” I call to her.

  Seconds later she reappears, and we race back to the control screen. Just as I expected, the lights on it are all fiercely lit.

  “Is that what we want to see?” Fiona asks.

  “That’s exactly what we want to see,” I tell her as I open a comm line to the bridge.

  “Swipt, this is Montier. Engines and propulsion are confirmed online. Let’s get the fuck out of here!” I yell into the speaker.

  “Heard, Monty!” he replies, and Fiona and I are immediately thrown sideways into the wall.

  He’s clearly wasting no time getting us into the air. There’s only one jump chair in the engine room, so I strap Fiona down into it as she pulls her datapad out of the pack I’d completely forgotten she’d had strapped to her back. I don’t even know when she managed to grab it back from Varia, but apparently, she had. I watch as she begins pulling up files although what she could possibly be checking for is beyond my comprehension.

  I’ve got to hand it to her, though, I’ve never seen someone work as diligently as her. Even when she’s up on the bridge in the nav chair—where she should probably be right now, actually—she’s still working on decrypting files, looking for crumbs about the Frontier and her arrest. I suppose if I were in her situation, I’d want to find out everything I possibly could about why I’d been taken, too.

  In my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d find someone like Fiona to spend the rest of my days with. It’s crazy to think of how different my life would have been had I stayed on Kilgar. Where would I be now? Would I be the fourth, fifth, sixth—or farther removed—husband to one of our females? If that had been my fate, would I have been as happy as I am now? Who would have ever guessed that a tiny, calculating, beautiful human would have stolen my heart completely?

  As the force of the Queen ascending into the sky intensifies, I kneel before Fiona. I place my hands on the wall on each side of her, bracing my arms around her body like a cage. Even though she’s strapped in, I’m always going to do everything in my power to keep her safe. She looks up from her datapad into my eyes, knowing exactly what I’m doing, and smiles brightly.

  “I love you,” I tell her, lost in the deep, velvety green of her eyes.

  “I know,” she says. “I love you too. So fucking much.”

  As the Queen rumbles back toward the stars, she presses her lips to mine.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Fiona

  I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my life than when I hear Swipt’s voice come over the comm system to inform the Queen’s occupants that we’ve successfully escaped the atmosphere of Perseus and we can remove all restraints. Even when Solair and the crew burst through the doors of the Frontier I hadn’t been as ecstatic as I am now, and that memory is pretty high up on my list of Best Days Ever.

  If I never have to return to Perseus again, I’ll die a very happy woman indeed.

  Once the Queen has leveled out, Montier finally releases me from the safety of his embrace and unclips me from the jump chair. He looks as relieved as I feel to be quickly putting the frontier planet behind us.

  “We should probably head up to the bridge. I’m sure Solair will want you there to assist in planning our next stop,” he says.

  “Any requests? As your jalshagar, I’m sure I can take any suggestions you may have into consideration,” I say jokingly.

  “Someplace far, far away from Perseus, and perhaps with a similar environment to Udrillon? I’ll gladly go anywhere that allows you to wear that sexy little number again,” he says, comically waggling his eyebrows at me.

  “Oh, darling, we don’t need to be on a tropical planet for me to slip into that again. All you need to do is ask me nicely and I’d be more than happy to oblige you,” I say in a husky voice.

  “Tease,” he says, pulling me into his arms.

  “I’m only a tease if I don’t follow through, and I assure you, that won’t be the case.” I trail my fingers up his chest and into his hair at the back of his neck, drawing his mouth down against mine. He kisses me hard and I feel his twin members rise to the occasion between my legs. But I force myself to pull back before things between us get too out of hand.

  He groans in protest but releases me from his arms.

  “I know. I know. You have to change, and we have to head up to the bridge. But we will resume this later,” he says.

  “You bet your sweet ass we will,” I agree.

  Thankfully, getting on a turbo lift with two other Kilgari crewmen provides more than enough time for our blood to cool.

  We make a quick stop for me to change out of this ridiculous outfit and then we’re back on our journey to the upper decks. Once we arrive, I’m immediately greeted by the sight of the group of women we’d freed from the auction house. They’re standing in the center of the large, echoing space, looking completely lost. I can only imagine how difficult this must be on all of them. Who knows how long they’d been enslaved in that horrible place?

  I approach them with Montier by my side—a warm, reassuring smile on my face. I quickly make introductions and invite them to follow me, intent on taking them directly to the mess.

  “Although I can’t possibly begin to understand what you’ve all been through, I want you to know you’re safe here aboard the Ancestral Queen. Her Kilgari crew may lead the pirate’s life, but they’re benevolent and kind. You needn’t fear them, no matter how intimidating they may seem. I promise you haven’t leaped out of the fryi
ng pan into the fire,” I tell them.

  Inside the mess, I find Marion sitting with Kintar at a table tucking into Jax’s specialty of Rauth stew. I approach her on swift feet, knowing she’s probably not yet been informed of the arrival of our guests. She immediately rises to her feet when she sees me and envelops me in an embrace just as Ilya did only a short while ago.

  “Thank the stars you’re alive, Fiona! We were all so worried about you. No more foolish missions to black sites for you anymore. From now on, you stay put in that nav chair where we can all see you!” she admonishes, just as any den mother would.

  “Believe me, I’ll be laying low for a while, Marion. This was more than enough adventure to last me a lifetime,” I tell her.

  “Who are your friends?” she asks, eyeing the group of women gathered behind me.

  “These women were rescued from the slave auction on Perseus. Some of them have been held prisoner for months. I was hoping you’d assist me in getting them fed as well as securing some new clothing and a place to sleep. Solair has agreed to deliver them to the nearest safe port, as we’re currently running over capacity ourselves,” I explain.

  “Of course, I’ll help you—and them. After all, it wasn’t so long ago we found ourselves in the same situation. We’re still essentially refugees, I reckon,” Marion says.

  I watch as she immediately abandons her own meal and herds the women to the counter of the mess, introducing them to Jax and instructing him to ply them with as much food and drink as he can. One by one they receive plates piled high with warm bread and vegetables as well as the biggest bowls of Rauth stew he can provide.

  Marion leads them over to a group of tables and settles them in before asking Kintar for his help in locating a place for them to sleep along with bedding and some clean clothes. The Kilgari steward doesn’t even grumble in response. He only nods and departs with a smile.