Breaking Bonds: An Alien Romance Adventure

by E J Darling

  She couldn’t control herself. She knew Teak was just trying to distract her from her own emotions and honestly, it worked. She had a smile on her lips the entire time he spoke and hadn’t realized it until now. Teak had a way with words and had an air about him that just screamed confidence. Maeve could use all of that right now and regretted saying all that crap a minute ago. She did need him. She didn’t know how or why, but she did.

  “You’re annoying.”

  “I’m a lot of things, Maeve. Annoying is one of them.” He gave her a wink and that cool sexy smile, and she couldn’t help herself. She was just as weak as all the other females she was sure fell into his charming trap. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his chest, kissing the top of her head. The intimate gesture threw her off but had her heart pumping in her chest. He whispered something so softly, it almost got lost in her own thoughts, but she’d heard it well enough. “I’m also completely and truly devoted to you.”

  Roth’s voice came over the speakers. “Looks like it’s space junk up ahead. Brace yourselves. I’m pushing full thrusters in three… two… one.”

  “Hold on to me.” Teak braced them both for the initial thrust. “I won’t let you fall.”

  Ten

  Teak threw another slimy mutant body over his shoulder and walked it to the loading dock to toss it on top of the others. Maeve and Keeli worked together and tossed the last one in, its body making a disgusting squish as it slid to the bottom of the pile. He’d made Maeve wear protective gloves when touching the bodies and was happy she didn’t argue with him about it. He was already on thin ice, and he didn’t want her to have yet another reason to be pissed off about how much he coddled her.

  He knew she was intelligent, but what he hadn’t realized, was that she wasn’t just some weak slave who’d been sheltered her entire life. He’d never met anyone like her before. A slave with an education and battle training was more rare than any precious gem found on an icy planet floating the outer rim of some distant galaxy. She was mind boggling and he craved to know every single thing he could about her; if she would only let him get close.

  He knew he was being stupid, they’d met hours ago, but in that time they’d gone through a hell of a storm together.

  “Why are these things so gross?” Keeli asked, drawing Teak out of his daydream.

  Maeve looked at him, but in the process, she’d found him staring at her and lifted an eyebrow before shaking her head. “I don’t know, Keeli. They’ve been in space for generations.”

  “It isn’t just that,” Teak added. “The ships they live in are from Earth. Human’s never really figured out how dangerous long term effects of space travel can actually be. Their ship hulls don’t filter out radiation like other alien crafts do, and before they ever got really proficient at space travel, Earth was destroyed. Those who were fortunate enough to be off planet when things went to shit were never able to go back.”

  Keeli covered her mouth with her hands in shock, then pulled Maeve into a tight hug. “Oh, my goodness, Maevelin! I am so sorry your planet is gone!”

  Maeve pat the affectionate female once on the back and rolled her eyes. “It happened more than five hundred cycles ago, Keeli. I never lived there.”

  “Oh.” The female let her go, allowing Maeve a breath. “Well, I’m still very sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I grew up in a good home and I’m not one of these creatures. I wish they weren’t even called Humans anymore. I’m not the same as them and I don’t think my other Human friends would like the comparison either. But that won’t change, so I’ll just call them mutants.”

  Roth came over the coms and broke them from their uncomfortable conversation. “Float the bodies and meet at the bridge. I just received a message from Zekekiel.”

  Maeve got noticeably nervous and Teak wished he could hold her close and tell her it would be okay, but that would just push her farther away from him, so he kept his distance as he watched her demeanor change.

  “Move back.” Teak walked over to the panel on the wall and made sure the females were clear of the doors before he closed them. They swished closed and he hit the big red button that opened the airlock, sending the bodies out into the icy black abyss. “Let’s go.”

  The three of them walked onto the bridge. Roth stood bent over a video screen, talking to someone Teak didn’t recognize, but was obviously Tallek. “Yes, sir. They’re here now. I'll have her call you as soon as she’s able.”

  He didn’t know why that sent a knot to his stomach, but for some reason, he felt completely responsible for the look on Maeve’s face. He didn’t want her getting in trouble for buying him, but he knew it wasn’t going to be an easy conversation when they got home.

  “Goodbye, sir.” Roth stood and clasped his hands behind his back as he addressed the three of them. “Please sit.” He gestured to a row of swivel chairs that sat in front of a panel, and they all sat down.

  The spacecraft was made to operate with a small crew, but they weren’t in war, nor were they dignitaries carrying a high level politician. So, they didn’t need more than one person running the ship, and Roth seemed to do a well enough job alone. Despite the well placed dislike he held for the captain, Teak could commend him for how he ran the ship when they weren’t getting boarded by mutants.

  “Zekekiel sent a message requesting that we make a short stop at Hydron-5 Station. He didn’t say why, only that I was to retrieve a parcel from someone named Filo.”

  Teak tensed and cleared his throat in an attempt to swallow the snarl that insisted on coming out. Maeve glared at him, but he gave her a fake smile and turned his attention back to Roth.

  “He’s at a bar called The Gillion. I don’t know where that is, but the station is small enough for someone to lead me in the right direction. I wanted you all to know that we will be briefly stopping and then we will be on our way home.”

  Maeve and Keeli nodded, but Teak still felt too rigid to move his body. The last place he wanted to go was a space station. They were crawling with smugglers, bounty hunters, and slavers. More than that, he didn’t want Maeve or Keeli anywhere around that place. Even docking there was dangerous if you didn’t keep a sharp eye out. Scrappers could take apart a ship faster than you could finish a drink. He’d made that mistake once and it took him five months to get someone to trust him enough to allow him on their ship. After that, he’d sworn off stations as a whole.

  Roth cleared his throat and Teak gave him his attention. “You may leave now. Keeli, Maeve, get some sleep.”

  Maeve stood. “Was that Zeke on the video comms a moment ago?”

  “Oh,” Roth nodded. “Yes, but it wasn’t a message for you.” He pulled out a small video screen from his pocket and handed it to Keeli. “He wishes to see your appearance and speak to you.”

  Keeli gasped and snatched the device out of Roth’s hand. “I’m going to see him?” She squealed as she turned the device over in her hands trying to figure out how it worked. Roth got it turned on and connected the call for her. She ran out the door and down the hallway out of sight.

  “I love her optimism.” Maeve smiled at the empty doorway. “I hope I made a good choice.”

  Roth and Teak locked eyes, and he couldn’t miss the hostility that hid behind the captain’s gaze. “I’m sure he’ll find her very favorable.”

  Stepping toward the captain, Maeve wrapped her arms around his middle, unaware of the hostility in the room. “Thank you for not saying anything to him, Roth. I know you could have but you didn’t, and I appreciate it.

  The captain returned the affection, making Teak’s body go rigid with agitation, and he kissed the top of her head as if to give a silent “fuck you” to Teak. “You’re welcome, Maevie. It wasn’t my place to tell your story. You’re always safe with me.”

  Maeve let go of the handsy captain and looked back at Teak for just a moment, then walked out of the room and disappeared down the hall just like Keeli before her. Teak took a step to fol
low, but Captain Roth stepped in front of him. “We need to talk.”

  “I don’t have anything to say to you.” Teak looked down at the pale hand on his chest and rumbled deep. “We may have fought side by side against the mutants, but let’s not pretend that we like one another. Get your hand off me.”

  The male stepped back two paces and locked his hands behind his back. Captain Roth Myler was a military man through and through. They may not like each other but that didn’t mean respect couldn’t go both ways when needed.

  Teak locked his hands behind his back as well, mimicking the male’s pose. “What do we need to discuss?”

  “I won’t pretend that you didn’t react when I discussed our plans to dock at Hydron-5, so please don’t pretend now. Tell me your concerns. Because whether I like you are not, you have a background I’m sure could be useful here.”

  If Teak could roll his eyes right now, he would. The captain thought him a thief and a pirate no doubt. Conspiring his naughty deeds in dark corners of blacklisted taverns on blacklisted stations. It couldn’t be further from the truth. He’d ignore Roth’s mental image of him because he didn’t care what the captain thought. “It’s a bad idea.” Teak sighed. “Especially with three females on board. This is a nice ship and it’s going to draw too much attention.”

  The captain nodded, seeming to take in his words. “What do you suggest? Besides avoiding the place. I can’t do that, as this was a direct order from my superior.”

  Teak allowed his mind to work through the problem. They could stop in space, far from the station, and fly in on a pod, but the area was still crawling with smugglers and thieves. It wouldn’t be safe for anyone on board, nor would it be safe for the captain to be that far from the ship and alone on the station with no backup. Teak’s mind reeled until he came up with the only solution.

  “We’ll have to dock,” he growled.

  “Okay.”

  “And we will all have to get off the ship.”

  Captain Roth made a low hissing sound and shook his head. “No. Hell no, actually. I won’t put Maevelin, Keeli, or Cookie’s life in jeopardy for a simple errand. I can be in and out quickly by myself.”

  “Or,” Teak interrupted. “You could be injured, stolen, beat to hell, or worse. Then what would you do? You’ll need backup, and I hate to say it, but I’m a good friend to have in a fight.”

  Roth seemed to think that over. Teak didn’t like the thought of Maeve out there either, but he’d rather get eaten by a galler worm from the inside out, than leave her defenseless on the ship with only a temperamental beast at her side, no matter how much Säiph thought he could protect her.

  The captain couldn’t go alone, and whether Teak liked the male or not, he didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Maeve loved him and respected him, so he had enough room in his heart for that.

  “There’s one more thing.” He had to try and get the captain to agree to his plan and he would use any form of coercion to get what he wanted. “I know the alien you seek.”

  Roth darted his eyes towards Teak and glared at him. He knew his association sounded bad. He could think what he wanted because Teak didn’t feel the need to explain his past life with the stranger. He knew the kind of male he was, and it didn’t matter what others thought about him. He was good, honorable, and kept his word.

  “Filo is no friend, but I could point him out for you. I could also watch your back and the females while you retrieve whatever it is you’re going to risk your life for.”

  Roth’s head nodded again. “And you’re sure you don’t see another way?”

  “Aside from not going at all–”

  “That’s not an option.” Roth interrupted.

  “Then, no. I cannot allow Maeve to be alone on the ship while we are docked. She is mine to protect.”

  That same odd noise came from Roth, but Teak growled back this time. It wasn’t up for discussion and he didn’t give a shit how much the male hated him for it. Maeve was his, would be his, and there wasn’t anything Roth could say that would make him walk away.

  Mine.

  Eleven

  A knock sounded at the door and Maeve shot up in bed. She’d gotten undressed to sleep, not expecting to receive a visitor, and grabbed the thin robe that hung on a hook next to the bed.

  Padding over to the door, she placed her hand on it and leaned in close. “Who is it?”

  “It’s me.”

  Her eyes widened. Teak’s voice sounded soft and sweet and she wished she had the nerve to open the door to him. He scared her. His need for affection scared her, and she’d tried everything she could to stay away from him, but her efforts were proving to fail her every time she caught one look at him. There were limited places on this ship she could go for privacy, and it seemed now not even her cabin was one.

  “What is it?”

  “Can you open the door so we can talk?” She heard him sigh and she pushed herself against the door even more, wishing to be closer to him. Wishing she was brave enough to be closer to him. “It’s about the station we’re going to.”

  “What about it?”

  “Maeve, please open up.” The faint sound of his hand touching the door had her nerves clenched tighter. “I promise I will not touch you. You’ve made your concerns clear to me and I would never wish to push you further than you wish to go. This is important.” There was a long pause before he continued. “My people take their word seriously, Maeve. I know you do not want my touch, and you have my word from now on that I will not do so without your permission. But I don’t want to talk to you through a door.”

  Oh, but she did want him to touch her. She wanted him to caress her skin, to treasure her body like she silently did his. He was impossible to get away from and she secretly wished he didn’t give her the space she demanded at all. She wanted him to push past her words and take her anyways, but he wouldn’t. His actions spoke louder than his words did, and they told her he was honorable. He wasn’t some creep that did as he pleased, or a male that knew exactly how good he looked and took advantage of females that saw it. He was a charmer, but he didn’t use that power on her.

  Without any more thinking, Maeve pushed the button for the door, and it slid open as she stepped back.

  He stood there, motionless, and stared into her eyes. “May I come in?”

  She nodded.

  “Thank you.”

  He moved slowly into her cabin and the door slid closed behind him. There was now no quick escape for her if she wanted it, but she didn’t want it. Teak moved to the other side of the cabin and sat in a metal chair at her desk.

  “What did you need to talk to me about?”

  “This place we’re going to, it isn’t a good one. Bad people thrive in places like that and I refuse to leave you alone on this ship while the captain leaves to find what your master told him to retrieve.” He closed his eyes and sighed, opening them once again to look at her crossed arms instead of her eyes. “I also don’t want him going alone.”

  She huffed a laugh. “You don’t give two shits about Roth. Why would you care if he finished his mission safely?”

  He met her eyes once again and the beauty in them made her heart skip a beat. “Because you care.”

  Her stomach clenched again, and she tried to find anything bad about Teakin Kade. He was strong, beautiful, and good. He cared for her even though she owned his life, and she still had the audacity to push him away. Was she insane? No, she wasn’t. She was just smart and didn’t want to get attached to someone who would ultimately leave her. She needed to focus on her own freedom.

  Maeve peeked at the gold bars on the inside of her wrists and wished once more she’d been able to buy her freedom. But then she remembered the male that sat on the other side of the room. The male that still existed because she’d made a choice, a good choice, to save his life, and she pushed the thought of her freedom out of her mind. She’d have to let that dream go for a while.

  “Okay,” she whispered.
“So, we all go right?”

  He nodded. “I want you to stay at my side. I can only protect you if you stay close.” She understood what he wanted, and her body reacted to the strength he naturally exuded. He wanted to protect her, and she believed he could. He’d done it twice already and she still breathed because of it. “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

  She couldn’t help but notice the way his fists clenched, and his jaw tightened when he said the words in that beautiful language of his. The one that sounded at home on his lips and he spoke it as if he were reciting poetry.

  “You’d be free of me then,” she lied, but tested him anyway. She wanted to see his reaction, wanted to know what her life meant to someone like him. She didn’t care if it sounded dark, it fueled her to know his need to keep her safe and with him.

  “Don’t say that again,” he demanded. “Never in a thousand lifetimes, in a million galaxies, would I wish to be free of you. You don’t seem to know much about the Turnish people but know this.” Teak stood and took one long stride toward her, closing the gap. He didn’t touch her, just like he’d promised, but his body hovered just over hers and she wished he would. She wanted him to break his promise and grab her, take her into his arms and throw her on her bed. But he didn’t, and he wouldn’t without her permission. “We are loyal, fiercely protective of what is ours, and we do not go against our word.” The breath of his words fanned her skin.

  “I believe you,” she whispered, her breath shallow so as to not touch his leather bound chest with her breasts. “And it terrifies me.”

  Teak stepped back two paces but never wavered his eye contact. He looked at her as if she were prey and he would consume her in one bite. “I would never harm you. I would never lay a hand on you that wasn’t wanted or desired. It kills me that I made a promise not to touch you because there is nothing I want more. You standing here in front of me, wearing nothing but that thin garment for protection from my eyes, have my insides tearing me apart to just touch one piece of your flesh. It’s selfish of me to think that way when you do not feel the same, but I don’t care. No matter how you feel, I will be at your side.”