Ki's Redemption

by Keri Kruspe

  At first, Sherri thought Lora was kidding. Who’s to say her friend hadn’t suffered a weird personality shift when she changed from a human to a Zerin?

  Humph, it didn’t take long for the crazy ship to talk to Ki in a sultry, sexy voice that made Sherri’s eyeballs pound in frustration. Not that she was jealous or anything, she hardly knew the man…er, male…um, alien. Whatever.

  “Oh, is her highness finally going to get up?”

  And cue in the wonderful wake-up call from the bitchress herself. Great, things were looking up. One thing Sherri learned on the trip was nothing pissed Elemi off more than being ignored. So, what did Sherri do? Yep, every chance she got, she pretended Elemi didn’t exist.

  Sherri surveyed the room she slept in. It might be small, but it had everything she needed during the journey. She had a comfortable bed and a nice bathroom, complete with a tub and shower that used actual water. She could program any clothes she wanted, provided by a replicator available in a hidden compartment in the wall. She even had a small desk with an inboard computer screen that floated above the surface.

  “You’re not going to wear that…are you?” The condescending tone from Elemi was awfully thick that morning.

  Sherri gritted her back teeth and kept quiet. She’d pulled out a pair of skinny blue jeans and a soft pullover sweater in a swirl of fall colors. A low-heeled pair of faux-leather brown boots completed the outfit. A tunic over billowy leggings might be the preferred dress aboard the StarChance, but she was happy to be back in normal clothes.

  Besides, it’d be a cold day in hell if she let a bossy ship tell her what she could and couldn’t wear. Once she learned how to program the replicator, her wardrobe decisions were all hers. With a critical eye at the vid mirror in the bathroom, Sherri fluffed her short auburn hair, now growing out of the edgy bob she normally kept. She smoothed her wispy bangs. First chance she got, she’d figure out how to get a touch-up.

  Sherri studied her reflection. Even without her normal makeup, her image remained the same, no different from when she’d left Earth. The edgy bob of her dark reddish-brown hair framed her brown eyes, surrounding her long mink lashes and trimmed eyebrows. A tan long since faded had left her skin lighter than before. She chuckled wistfully. It was a little hard to bask under the sun on a spaceship. Her disgruntled semi-frown caught her eye. Damn mouth had always gotten her into trouble. The cupid bow of her lips gave a lush appearance that most men fixated on, that is, until some jerk pushed her to the limit. Then her mouth became a weapon to cut them down. She had a hard time suffering fools and had no problem verbally eviscerating those who deserved it.

  Even as a young child, she’d received deferential treatment because she was pretty, but she didn’t care how she looked; she’d never counted on her physical appearance to get by. The only thing to rely on was hard work and goals kept in focus. Success didn’t become a reality through magic or wishful thinking.

  She wasn’t going to get anything handed to her, it was up to her to get what she wanted. Abandoned as a small child by her alcoholic father after her mother’s death, Sherri shuffled through too many foster homes to count. Instead of wallowing in her misfortune, she worked hard to gain a full scholarship to college. Once she graduated summa cum laude, she received her doctorate in business management. Then, she and her college roommate, Natalie, created an app that merged Mac and Windows programs to be used on either system. With the money from that program, she and her partner developed another app that combined all rewards cards into one QR-Quick Response code. Almost overnight, Sherri went from being a penniless orphan to someone worth millions.

  Just her luck, Natalie embezzled from the company and instigated a hostile takeover. At the same time, she had evidence planted against Sherrilyn to frame her for the federal offense.

  Arrested, charged in an airtight case, and facing up to 20 years in maximum prison, Sherrilyn became desperate. When the Zerins offered the prospect of attending the Exchange, she didn’t think twice and left Earth behind.

  As she took one last glance in the 3D mirror, Sherri’s frown deepened. While she didn’t regret her decision to leave home, she wished things would have turned out the way the Zerins had promised. While she might still appear the same, inside she was someone, or rather, something different because of the pirate in her noggin. Finding a mate, alien or otherwise, was the last thing she needed.

  “No, really.” The female voice of the ship yapped. “You look like a child in those clothes. No one will ever take you seriously.”

  Sherri’s mouth quirked into a slight smile. Ha! She’d gotten under Elemi’s skin if the ship resorted to lame insults. Better slurs had been thrown at her in grade school. The obnoxious AI ship couldn’t even begin to upset her.

  After leaving the sleeping chamber, she went down the narrow, cool corridor to the dining area. At first, the ship with its dim, narrow interior had made her nervous. The only thing that made it bearable was the warm glow from the pores of the walls, like being wrapped in a friendly cocoon. Now if only that cocoon came with a pleasing personality instead of Elemi’s snarky one, life would be pretty damned good right about now.

  Being possessed by the pirate notwithstanding.

  She stopped in mid-step.

  Ki was sitting at a small table used for eating, an empty plate and a hot beverage cup sitting in front of him.

  Every time she saw him, her body shot into hyper-drive. Her breath would catch, her nerves strung tight, and she sweated. Hardly attractive.

  Ki was in deep discussion with his Zerin friend, D’zia. Next to the light-haired male sat his mate? Girlfriend? Wife?

  The Zerins called it a TrueBond. At least that’s what her friend Lora—a former human who had been forcibly converted into a Zerin female—told her. She’d met the woman aboard the StarChance, when they both left Earth to attend the Exchange to meet an alien soulmate. Yeah well, at least that worked out for Lora.

  The holographic images of the two appeared to sit at the same table as Ki. Every time they communicated with the two, she had to remind herself they were thousands of light-years away and not in the same room. The realistic way the Zerins communicated by hologram was far superior to Skype any day.

  She made a beeline to the food initiator and programmed a cup of coffee, her mouth watering as she waited for the much-needed shot of caffeine. She glanced at Ki before filling the cup with freshly brewed coffee, the nutty flavor perfuming the air. His steady gaze unsettled her, especially when he was talking to someone else as he watched her.

  After a few tense moments, he gave her a nod and turned his attention back to his holographic friend, never breaking their line of conversation.

  Sherri gripped the warm coffee cup. The dual navy/hunter-green stare amped her nerves a little tighter. Not one to ignore a challenge, she squared her shoulders and placed the steaming cup of coffee on the table, then sat across from him. He wasn’t going to intimidate her, no matter how distracting his gorgeous appearance was. She returned his nod before she took a small sip of the scalding liquid.

  His dual-colored eyes widened, showing off the dark navy-and-hunter-green irises that surrounded the green iridescent pupils. Ki resumed his steady regard as he agreed with something D’zia said.

  Sitting back in the chair, Sherri took the time to study him as his attention went back to the conversation with the others. Sigh, she had to admit, the man…er…male was magnificent. Why was she so drawn to him? For God’s sake, he rarely smiled. But she’d always been a sucker for tall men, and Ki fit the bill. His seven-foot frame dwarfed her average five-foot-six. With his height and wide chest, he could satisfy any girl’s fantasy.

  Masculine, roped muscles were on prominent display in the formfitting clothes. Bulky, yet not so blocky to be offensive. Ki’s dark, mahogany hair was shoulder length, with a small braid at his right temple. There the strands had a wave of buttermilk yellow that boasted of his more mature age. The tips of his pointed ears poked through a curta
in of thick hair.

  His regal nose was that of a conqueror of old, while a black, short-cropped beard and mustache surrounded full, sensuous lips. His deep, rich golden tan skin tone was overlaid with the normal Zerin pearlescent sheen that reflected a rainbow in the low light.

  The large, deep scar that bisected his face might have overshadowed his masculine appeal, but instead, it intensified his attractiveness. The gash started at the top of his hairline, passed his left eye, and ended across his cheek to taper off at his jawline, just under his ear. While the facial hair hid some puckered skin, it only covered the tail end of the old wound.

  While the pain behind the scar had to have been horrendous, Sherri was proud that he didn’t cover it up or have it replaced. The Zerins obviously had an advanced civilization and she didn’t doubt he could have had it erased a long time ago. It didn’t matter to her why he kept it, she admired him for keeping the memento for whatever reason.

  Overall, he was a handsome devil who made her shudder like a preteen in the throes of her first crush. Bad enough she had to ignore her own reaction to him, but with the pirate squatting in her brain, it was a struggle to keep her attraction to the Zerin hidden. The last thing she needed was the annoying pirate in on her secret. She’d never hear the end of it.

  “Hey, Sherri!” Lora gushed. She leaned toward her.

  How wonderful to see Lora in Earth clothes.

  Instead of the Zerin tunic and pants, Lora was sporting a large bright-red sweater over black leggings tucked into black ankle boots. “How’s it going with the hitchhiker in your noggin?”

  Sherri gave Lora a wide smile at her apt description. “Just great! How’s it going being an alien?”

  Lora whooped. “Ha! You only wish you had it as good as me.” Her wide grin flashed fangs when a happy expression lit her face.

  No doubt about Lora’s contentment, her friend’s body thrummed in joy with every movement.

  Her friend had gone from being a human to becoming a Zerin alien due to the diabolical machinations of a crazy alien Erkek scientist. When Sherri first met her, Lora had been a pretty, full-figured woman with dark-blonde hair. Now her tresses were mixed with the soft-brown shade the same color as D’zia’s, and reached the top of her butt. While Lora’s body retained its prior shape, her fawn skin boasted a pearlescent sheen that reflected softly in the light. Her hands had also changed, from a normal human’s four fingers and a thumb to Zerin three fingers, all the same length.

  Lora’s cheekbones retained their scattering of freckles but were higher and sharper, and her ears had a slight point at the tip. Her gray eyes were now dual colored with a dark-gray ring surrounded by a lighter-gray color and iridescent dark-green pupils.

  The most striking feature was the unusual tattoo that covered the left side of her temple and forehead. It ended just below her cheekbone in a beautiful intricate knot. In the middle of the design, a clear diamond-shaped crystal rested snugly within her skin at the temple.

  D’zia frowned as he narrowed his eyes at Sherri.

  When it looked like he would argue with her, Lora gave his biceps an open slap. “Oh, leave her alone, you big bully.”

  D’zia’s open mouth cracked Sherri up.

  “I didn’t say anything!” He whined and rubbed his arm.

  “Oh, I didn’t hurt you.” Lora snorted loudly before she turned to Sherri with a twinkle in her eye. “Holy Shamoka, he’s so sensitive.”

  Lora’s mate, D’zia, was a striking, good-looking male. In his formfitting dark-blue pants and shirt, he appeared younger than her impassive companion Ki and his attitude remained open and jocular. He was a half-foot shorter than Ki’s seven feet and had light-umber hair intersected with some of Lora’s blonde-colored strands. He kept a small, tight braid at his right temple that hung loosely to his waist with a single braid draped behind his pointy ear.

  The bright-turquoise colors of his dual irises set him apart from the other Zerins she’d seen. The inner color was a deep blue-green while the outer ring was a shade or two lighter, a perfect contrast to his hunter-green pupils. Their colors contrasted nicely with the iridescent sheen of his dark tan skin.

  Fascinating. He had the same intricate tattoo on his face that Lora did, except his was on the right. The marks were an exact mirror image of each other, right down to the clear crystal nestled in the middle of their temples.

  Ki returned Lora’s snort with manly gusto. “Can we focus here, people?”

  “Ki…dog. How’s it hangin’?”

  The deep, baritone voice that came out of the small, spider-shaped Spybot named JR10 was always a surprise.

  He currently perched on D’zia’s shoulder, his twelve, spindly legs curled beneath his two-pronged tagmata silver body.

  Thankfully, the AI lacked the chelicerae fangs of a normal Earth spider that would have had her skin crawling. The little bot was actually a study in technological wonder even if his personality bordered on the annoying extreme. Which almost made her feel sorry for the younger Zerin.

  “It’s chillin’.” Ki drawled the surprising answer in his slight, accented tone.

  Sherri mirrored D’zia’s and Lora’s open mouths.

  JR10, the idiot, laughed so hard he fell off his perch and ended on a table with twitching legs as he snickered.

  Jeez, the answer wasn’t that funny, just surprising since it came from the stoic Ki. Who knew he had a sense of humor, much less understood what that Earth slang meant and used it as an answer.

  “Yo, dude! Yous so crazy!” JR10 straightened and turned his large, multi-faceted eyes to D’zia. “Why do you always insist he has no sense of humor? Bro, there is seriously something wrong with you.” He scolded the male with a shake of his bulbous head.

  D’zia opened and closed his mouth a couple of times as if he couldn’t decide what to say. His wide, dual-colored teal eyes pleaded with Lora.

  Fortunately for him, the other Spybot, JR11, spoke up. “JR10! That wasn’t nice. You apologize right this instant!” The anthropoid bot in feminine form was a delicate, deep-violet version of JR10 with a soft, breathless voice. While D’zia always had JR10 with him, Lora, in turn, carried JR11 around.

  JR10 looked up at D’zia before his bottom abdomen wiggled as he shook his head. “Nah, we’re good.” A bulbous eye winked at him. “Aren’t we, bro?”

  D’zia watched the bot going over the hills and valleys of his arm before settling on his shoulder. After a pinch to the bridge of his nose, D’zia turned to Ki with a grimace.

  “As I was saying,” Ki continued.

  Sherri snickered as she took a sip of coffee as he ignored the exchange.

  “Elemi has connected with the Armada’s main ship and can now transmit…”

  Chapter Two

  SHERRI

  Ki blathered on and on about “wormholes” and “systems” as he laid out their plans for getting to Earth. Then he covered how they would infiltrate the Chancellor’s armada, in excruciating detail. Blah, blah, blah…time for Sherri to zone out.

  Weariness pulled her down. Why was she so tired all the time? Once her head hit the soft pillow the previous night, she didn’t wake until long past the morning schedule. Sherri studied the chronological calculator on the 3D floating computer screen Ki used and subtracted the number of hours she had slept. She chewed her bottom lip. Over nine hours?

  She’d never slept more than six hours at a time in her life. That could be the reason why her responses were sluggish. Her brain might as well be stuffed with cotton for all the good it did her. She inhaled the smoky scent of her hot, nutty beverage and sipped. Maybe its tart taste would help since it was hard to concentrate on the conversation between Ki and the holograms of D’zia and Lora.

  “So, how long will it take for you to reach Earth once Elemi creates the safest wormhole?” D’zia asked with his arm around Lora’s shoulder. The two of them were on their way to Zerin while Sherri and Ki sped to prevent Chancellor U’unk from reaching Earth.

&nb
sp; Sherri’s face heated at the sight of Lora and D’zia in a relaxed snuggle. While she was secretly obsessed with Ki, she had a hard time envisioning actually going beyond the friend stage. He was so far out of her league she wouldn’t know where to begin to make romantic moves on him.

  That made her chuckle in her cup. As the hot liquid passed her lips, the jolt of caffeine made her hum in pleasure and gave her the courage to be honest with herself. For the first time in her life, she was insecure around a man who appealed to her. With her looks, intelligence and accumulated wealth, she’d never had to work hard to attract a man. Normally, she had to fight them off. Another chuckle. Some would say it served her right.

  “The trip will be instantaneous,” Ki replied to D’zia’s question. “Once we’re in orbit around Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, we’ll do some reconnaissance on Earth. Just to make sure none of the Chancellor’s forces have made contact.”

  Yum, the way his fabulous chest rose and fell with each breath. And, ooh, the way his body responded-, from those full lips rolling around accented words to the controlled tension of his compact body. The more she observed, the more heated she got until her core melted in yearning.

  Hoo-boy, knock it off and get hold of yourself.

  A pinching, nagging sensation started at the base of her neck. Immediately she unfocused her eyes and went internal to confront her unwanted passenger. That irritating alien was struggling to get free from the constraints she’d put him in.

  Oh, no, you don’t, buddy! She visualized plunging his outline into a crystalized prison, trapping him inside before throwing it into a vat of thick tar. With smug satisfaction, she watched as the sparkling prison sank out of sight with Maynwaring in it.

  There, that should hold him for a while.

  It took a few moments to realize the dead silence in the room was because of her. Her face heated as she sheepishly returned their gazes. She shrugged. “What? Asshole was trying to get out.”