Her Alien Captor: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Alien Pirates Of Cania Book 1)

by Zara Zenia

  “Arrogant bastard.” Rayhan chuckled, leaning back in his chair with a dopey grin. “Almost makes you feel guilty for ripping him off when he makes it so easy.”

  “Not even a little,” Melody growled.

  “Was that all?” Devron asked, looking around the table. “I was looking forward to that rest that was promised.”

  “Of course,” said Lezin, jumping to his feet. “I’ll show you and your Omega to a guest room.”

  “Melody,” Devron said, standing as well. “Her name is Melody.” He said it firmly enough that everyone in the room got the message loud and clear. He didn’t want to have to make it clearer than that, especially not before he was in better shape.

  “And if you don’t want to join me now, you don’t have to,” he said, looking down at her shocked expression, hoping it was a good shocked, not a bad one. It was so difficult to read her at times, but he was starting to think he understood what she wanted.

  “I do,” she said, following suit, pushing back from the table to stand beside him.

  “You’re not waiting for food?” Sina asked from the doorway to the kitchen, visibly disappointed.

  Devron gave her an apologetic shake of the head. “I’ve no doubt it’s delicious as always, Sina, but I haven’t had proper sleep in I don’t know how long.”

  The fact that he couldn’t get Melody’s horizontal comment out of his head didn’t need to be mentioned.

  “Very well,” Sina conceded with a sigh. “Sleep well.”

  “Thank you for all your help, friend,” Devron said, following Lezin down a narrow hallway with doors on either side.

  “If you need anything, help yourself. If you can’t find it, just ask,” the former guard said as he pushed one door open.

  Melody and Devron both nodded in silent thanks, and the door closed behind them.

  Devron was too exhausted to notice the room beyond the large bed in the center and the window letting in hazy sunlight. With the bed in sight, his body finally had permission to give up, and his knees buckled.

  “Whoa there, cowboy,” Melody said, lunging to catch and support him. “You’re not quite there yet. Come on.” She helped guide him to the bed, and the moment his thigh touched the mattress, the rest of his body dropped down into it.

  “I still want you,” Devron said, even though he could only open one of his eyes halfway. The pillows were impossibly soft, the mattress dense and firm with enough cushion to cradle him perfectly.

  “Let’s get you out of these dirty clothes,” Melody said, sliding her hands up his sides to pull up his stained, ragged tunic. He shivered under her touch, lost in the half-awake, half-dream state.

  He was undressed before he knew what was happening, and sleep kept pulling at him, but in the flashes of consciousness he had, Devron saw Melody cleaning his battered body. Sina had tended to his wounds in the most urgent and critical way, but there was still so much grime and dried blood. Not after Melody’s gentle hand, though.

  Once she was through bathing him, Melody stripped and slid into bed too, wrapping her body around his, careful not to disturb his injuries.

  Her soft, thorough sponge bath had left Devron harder and hornier than ever, and with her soft, supple body curled around him, her fingers tracing lazy shapes over his skin, he thought he might explode. He had to be dreaming all of this, didn’t he? Nor had finally broken him, beaten him into a coma, and killed him. Was this the blessed afterlife? It certainly seemed possible with her next to him.

  As her hand skimmed downward, Melody gasped, the back of her hand brushing against his stiff cock. He sucked in a breath as her fingers traveled his length, his balls tightening from the pleasure of it.

  “That feels so good,” he whispered, hips jerking into her hand.

  “It’s going to feel even better when you’re inside me after this little nap,” she said, giving him another stroke before she leaned over to kiss him. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said, soothing his unspoken fears.

  He believed her, too. For the first time, he wasn’t worried about waking up to find Melody gone forever. He imagined waking up, pulling her on top of him, and watching her face as she came apart in the most beautiful fashion.

  It was a lovely image to fall asleep to. Prophetic, too.

  36

  As night fell, the crew had a plan—or as much of one as they figured they’d be able to have. With Lezin’s access to the systems still in place, he was able to verify that Nor was still diverting all resources to the search. Planetary security had stopped their search for the time being, but there was no doubt that Devron and Melody wouldn’t be able to be seen in public anywhere. There would be warrants out, and facial-recognition technology in town security systems would have them pinned in an instant.

  Their only hope was to steal a ship like Melody suggested, and the only viable target was Egeon Nor’s slaver ship.

  “We sure this is smart?” Naela asked as they packed up as many supplies as they could. None of them had plans to come back to the planet. Even Lezin was taking his chance to make a break for it.

  It was probably that more than anything that was making Devron’s mother so nervous. She seemed to still be harboring mistrust about the Canian men, even though they’d done nothing to warrant it. If Lezin had wanted to turn them in, he’d had ample opportunity while they slept, while they were vulnerable and unarmed.

  And yet he didn’t. Neither did Rayhan. They’d both been nothing but facilitating. Devron couldn’t blame his mother for still harboring resentment, especially after learning it was Nor who’d impregnated her, but her aggression was misplaced.

  “Smart’s relative when you’re backed against a wall,” Melody answered, slinging a pack strap over her shoulder. She was fully dressed again now, but the clothes did little to erase Devron’s memory of her lithe, supple body on top of him, riding him, pulling herself into a glorious climax, a show just for him. The memories alone were enough to make him hard, and the fact that he was sure he could smell the lingering perfume of their lovemaking sure didn’t help.

  “Let’s go,” Devron said, leaving no more room for argument. They’d already mapped out their route to the hangar, and Lezin had given them a crash course in the slaver ship’s layout. While docked, it wouldn’t have a crew, and they were all going to have to jump in to get the thing going. It wasn’t a little ship, and a crew of seven was well below the suggested minimum. They’d be in better shape if they’d had any luck contacting Mabav or Jorwon, but it’d been nothing but radio silence on every attempt.

  As usual, they’d have to use what they had and make do with it.

  Melody stayed close to him as they walked, a new energy sizzling between them now that she’d lowered her guard some. Devron was still wary of getting too hopeful about it, but it was pleasant to enjoy while he could. This new tact of being on equal footing with her made a lot of sense to him, if he was honest. Melody wasn’t the type of woman to be subservient or submissive at all, and he wouldn’t want her to be anyone other than herself. Asking Melody to be an Omega in the traditional sense—or worse, expecting it of her—was only going to lead to disappointment for everyone involved. She had to be given the room to make her own choices, to be her own person.

  After seeing how harmoniously Gaddis and Sina managed a relationship with equal partners, Devron couldn’t help but think they were on to something. He didn’t want a pet or a slave. He wanted a partner and a lover.

  Clearly, he’d gone about it all wrong, but it was a learning process, a work in progress, just like him.

  “Did you hear something?” Naela asked suddenly, the hangar within sight through the fog.

  Devron stopped and looked around at the rest of the group.

  No one said anything, all straining their ears.

  “Anyone?” he asked.

  Mutters came from the group. No one had heard anything.

  “This feels like a setup,” Naela grumbled under her breath. Devron bit back a sigh
. His mother was beginning to get on his last nerve. As much as he loved her, she wasn’t making any of this easy.

  “Got another plan?” Melody sniped.

  Naela snapped her jaw shut, glaring at the human but saying nothing.

  “That’s the door right over there,” said Lezin, pushing to the front to gesture to everyone at once. “I’ll go unlock it and make sure the coast is clear.”

  Once he’d done that, it would be up to him and Rayhan to gain access to the ship for them all.

  Devron’s intestines quivered nervously. This was it, where it could all go horribly, horribly wrong or where it could go miraculously right, and he’d be able to start his new life instead of ending it.

  The few seconds it took Lezin to sprint across the open distance and gain access to the hangar were some of the longest in Devron’s life. He could hear every breath of every member of their group. They’d all risked so much—everything—to help him, and now they were going to give it all up for him.

  He didn’t deserve that kind of loyalty and dedication, but he was eternally grateful for it.

  “That’s the signal,” Rayhan said as Lezin waved them onward.

  “You ready?” Melody asked, subtly squeezing his hand.

  “As I’ll ever be,” he answered, full of trepidation. “But Melody, if something goes wrong, you should know—”

  “Save it,” she said, pressing a finger to his lips. “Everything’s going to be fine. I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

  That made one of them.

  They were the last two to join the others in the hangar, but not far enough behind that anyone was left waiting for them.

  The huge ship’s hangar was eerily empty with all of Nor’s fleet out on patrol, but the brand-new slaver was on prominent display, front and center.

  Devron practically salivated at the sight of it. Not just because of what it stood for and what it would mean to Nor to lose it—the humiliating blow to his ego that would be—but because it was a gorgeous ship. It had to cost him a fortune, and the idea that Devron might get to lay some claim to it was almost like winning the lottery.

  Lezin and Rayhan walked together toward the ship, no one guarding the place to question their presence. Nor had to be the cockiest son of a bitch in the galaxy to leave things so exposed. Served him right to have it go missing.

  “Holy shit, they really did it,” Melody gasped as the ship’s door opened, a gangway dropping down.

  Devron couldn’t say he was any less shocked. It was all happening too easily, too smoothly. He was waiting for something catastrophic to happen, but no shots were fired as they darted across the open hanger. No alarms sounded.

  They made it. They were all aboard, the door was closed, and Devron heaved a huge sigh that quickly turned into a chuckle.

  “We did it,” Melody said, laughing with him, giddy, hysterical with relief.

  “Not yet,” Sina reminded them. “We’ve yet to leave the planet.”

  “Well, let’s get on with it,” Melody cried, breaking off into a run up to the bridge where they’d all already assigned their roles for launch. Devron had never seen her so exuberant, so free and full of life. She was more beautiful than ever. More intoxicating, too.

  Rayhan and Lezin called out items from a checklist, ensuring the ship was ready for takeoff. When they got to Naela’s role, she hesitated.

  “Mom? Are your readings good?” Devron asked. “Are we good to take off?”

  Naela’s expression twisted, contorted in a way that looked painful. “No, we’re not,” she said. Like lightning, she was on Melody, an arm around her from behind, a blaster pointed at her head. “I’m sorry, Son, but this ship isn’t going anywhere.”

  Devron’s brain struggled to process what was happening. She was playing some kind of trick on him, wasn’t she?

  “What? What are you talking about? Stop screwing around. This isn’t the time.”

  “Devron . . .” Melody whimpered, her voice shaking as she struggled. Naela’s grip around her was tight, squeezing the air from her lungs, making it hard to fill them again.

  “Mother, let her go. Whatever grievance you have, we can discuss it later,” Devron growled, his patience gone. He didn’t know what his mother was trying to get at, but no one threatened his Omega. No one.

  “I’m afraid there’s not going to be a later for you, boy,” said a familiar voice that made the hairs on Devron’s entire body stand up in alarm.

  Nor.

  He stepped onto the bridge from a side corridor, smiling an unsettling smile at them all.

  “Splendidly done, Naela. I never would’ve expected you to be so useful,” he said, caressing her cheek familiarly. Devron tensed, but the blaster trained on Melody’s temple was enough to keep them all frozen in place and confused.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Devron sneered, fists balling at his sides. He wished he was in better shape to take on this scum. He hated that there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to defeat him. He couldn’t worry about that, though. Not with Melody counting on him.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Nor chuckled again. “You stole my Omega, so I made your mother my Fourth.”

  “You . . . what?” Devron whispered, his whole body going cold all at once as the pieces fell into place. He only had to look at his mother to see the truth of it. She hated Nor with every fiber of her being, and yet she was still compelled to do his bidding. Her eyes sparkled with tears and her hand shook on the blaster grip.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, voice trembling. “I couldn’t—”

  “I know you couldn’t,” Devron said, angrier with himself than anyone else.

  “Incredibly useful,” Nor said, smugly satisfied with himself, “having a spy in the group to keep me informed of your every move, letting you think you were actually going to get away with it, and showing me which of my employees are disloyal,” he added with a sharp look toward Lezin, who to his credit, didn’t flinch or cower.

  It all made sense, and his mother had even tried to warn them in the only way she could. But it would never be enough. Melody was right. None of them would have peace until Egeon Nor was dead, once and for all.

  37

  Everything happened at once.

  Melody saw the subtle glances being exchanged around the room, but she didn’t understand what any of it meant. She could only think about the blaster pressed to her head, Naela’s arm squeezing the air out of her as her vision fuzzed around the edges, and Devron, whose whole world seemed to be crumbling around him.

  He didn’t hide how distraught he was about his mother’s attachment to Nor, but there was a determined set to his jaw that Melody hadn’t seen in a while.

  All at once, he lunged for Nor, and Gaddis and Sina jumped at Naela. The commotion was enough that Naela’s grip loosened, and Melody ducked out of her grasp just as she squeezed the trigger. The smell of Melody’s singed hair made her stomach turn. That was way too close.

  Before Naela could get another shot off, she spun around to get behind her. With the Selithi couple flanking her, Naela couldn’t turn around, and the moment she lifted her arm to aim again, Gaddis grabbed her wrist, claws overlapping but not digging into her flesh.

  “Let it go,” he said, his voice that low, lizard-like hiss Melody had grown familiar with. This time, it was more menacing than usual, though, scary enough to send a shiver down Melody’s spine.

  “I . . . can’t,” Naela cried, her hand trembling as she struggled against him. He was too strong, though, and if she didn’t stop fighting, she was going to break her wrist. “He told me to kill her,” Naela said, suddenly landing a solid kick to Sina’s stomach. The Selithi female doubled over with a grunt, reeling backward, and that served to catch Gaddis’s attention long enough for Naela to wriggle free.

  Instantly, Naela was searching for Melody, but she’d seen the writing on the wall already. Melody crouched behind one of the big crew chairs, her palm slick on the grip of her own blaster.
She didn’t want to shoot Devron’s mom, but she’d defend herself if she had to. She knew from experience how difficult it could be to resist the order of an Alpha, and with Nor right here, it had to be impossible to fight back.

  That didn’t change anything, though. Melody hadn’t come this far to die now.

  Gaddis hit the floor, dodging another shot from Naela who then whirled around, searching for Melody.

  “Over there,” Nor hissed, jerking his head. Melody felt foolish for not thinking to hide from him too. Damn it.

  With everything going on, she’d missed the scuffle between Nor and Devron. They’d both been armed at the start of the fight, but they were fighting with bare hands, surprisingly evenly matched.

  It had to be Devron’s weakened state holding him back. He needed help, but Melody knew the moment she stepped out of hiding, she’d be a target—and Naela was the one who’d taught her to shoot. She had no doubt her aim was true. Rayhan and Lezin had gone immediately to seal off all the entrances to the bridge, preventing any back-up Nor was counting on from reaching him. There was no telling whether Nor thought he and Naela could take down the group alone or not, but they weren’t taking any chances. It had taken them both out of the fight, but Rayhan saw Naela with the open shot and dove.

  He crashed into the older woman, tackling her to the floor, the blaster in her hand finally skittering off. Instantly, the Selithi were gathered to help restrain her while she frantically fought them and her urges to fight. It was heart-wrenching to watch, but Melody couldn’t. She had other things to worry about.

  Like Devron, still fighting with Nor.

  Devron, who looked like he was flagging, losing steam. Nor had gotten in a few solid punches, and Devron was limping, bleeding from new wounds and old, sweaty and pale.