Stowaway

by Elliot Cooper

  "Come on. Follow me." Summer tugged at Thalia's cloak and tilted her head toward the polished wooden stairs. "It's time you get out of these rags."

  "I don't think I'll fit in anything you have," Thalia protested as she trailed after Summer. They were physical opposites, both in height and build. Heights aside, where Thalia had full curves, Summer was lean save for the slight roundness of her belly.

  "Glyn has no idea how to buy for me, and I haven't figured out yet how to make clothing that fits, so we have a few pretty things in the wrong size. You're welcome to keep whatever you like," Summer said as they climbed the stairs. "I was a Xyran slave, too, on some base they'd staked out in disputed territory. I know what it's like not having anything of your own."

  Thalia had been somewhat embarrassed when Glyn had announced her prior circumstances to Summer while introducing them. It was easier to embrace her pride in her escape with the Alphans, who were brave warriors and would be certain to see her strength. But when it came to other humans, she felt sure they'd focus on her captivity and see her as lesser because of it, or at least someone to be pitied.

  "Thank you for your hospitality." Thalia didn't know what else to say, but she didn't want to talk about their having been slaves. From a few things Glyn and Vall had mentioned on their journey, Summer had been treated much worse. She'd been afraid of being taken back if she misbehaved, and they'd had to work to prove their love was unconditional. Thalia didn't want to dredge up that mess with someone she hoped would become a close friend.

  "I had a human friend who helped me settle in here. I'm happy to help you now. Pass the kindness along. Just promise me you'll do the same someday." Summer smiled brightly and led Thalia into one of the spare bedrooms that currently sat unoccupied but would soon become the nursery. She threw open the curtains, letting warm sunlight in through the large window.

  "Of course." Thalia returned Summer's smile, though it felt half forced. She wasn't sure how long she'd actually be on Alpha, but Summer seemed to think her future was secured. If she wanted to stay, she needed to think with the same positive attitude. It was what got her this far. It had to keep working. All she needed was a new plan, and the party Glyn promised to throw would be the first step. Or maybe the second. If she could figure out what these other men were like beforehand, she could start making a list of potential mates.

  While Summer went through the small wardrobe and pulled out a few items, Thalia moved to the window to look down over their garden. It was mostly filled with amazing blossoms and fruit bearing trees, but she could see a little section off to one side that looked like it held vegetables. A road stretched out toward the rolling, green hills and patches of forest in the distance. Fencing marked off one area dotted with little spots of white. It had to be livestock of some sort, which got her wondering about the wildlife of Alpha in a way she hadn't considered before.

  Dad had told stories of amazing animal species that used to live in vast numbers on Earth, but the flooding and damage done by mankind had ruined the incredible variety. She knew some Earth animals from pictures, and some she'd seen. Most she'd only imagined while tucked away with her family in the packed, deteriorated apartment building they'd called home.

  Tark's domain had been an affluent estate in comparison, but she saw now that everything was relative. If this was the sort of home, the sort of lifestyle decorated warriors afforded, she couldn't fathom what luxuries royalty enjoyed.

  "Try these on."

  Summer's voice drew Thalia's attention away from the window. She turned to see her hostess gesture toward a simple dressing screen, the clean clothing draped over her arm.

  Gratefully, Thalia took the clothes and slipped behind the screen. She glanced down at her dirty toes, and heat bloomed up her neck to her cheeks. She'd tracked dirt all over the beautiful hardwood floors of her hosts' home without thinking anything of it. She'd been so used to not being allowed footwear.

  Movement caught her attention, and she glanced down to the foot of the screen. Plain beige sandals with long braided laces scooted into view as if they had a life of their own.

  "Here, try these on, too. You shouldn't have to walk around barefoot everywhere." The floor creaked slightly as Summer walked back across the room.

  Thalia crouched down to touch the sandals, fingers moving over the smooth, soft leather attached to the solid soles. They looked as if they'd never been worn. On impulse, she picked them up, stacked them on top of the clothes in her arms, and breathed in the rich scent of leather. Tears stung her eyes, but closing them tight couldn't stop the flow from running down her cheeks and neck. She hugged the bundle of clean, fresh garments to her chest and stifled her grateful sobs by taking deep, stuttering breaths she hoped Summer wouldn't notice.

  She'd never be able to repay such kindness, not unless she passed it along to someone else, like Summer was doing with her.

  Trying on the clothes was both overwhelming and frustrating. The pants fit her legs well enough, but wouldn't make it over her butt or hips. The yellow skirt looked terrible with her complexion, and the cropped wraparound top, made of soft purple fabric woven with shimmering threads, couldn't wrap around her bust and be tied at the back.

  A long, hard look at her old shift dress, a stained off-white garment with no sleeves that had once been part of a sheet, and she knew she couldn't put the damned thing back on. Or the spare in her bag. Even cleaning it on Vall and Glyn's ship hadn't changed the fact that it was a slave's garment. It was the costume she'd worn.

  Now the actress was off stage, and she'd stay there. No more acting. No more pretending to want anyone or anything.

  She slowly held up the last garment Summer had included in the bunch: a pale blue dress with tiny cap sleeves that laced in the back. It wasn't what she would have chosen to wear if she'd had a real choice. Her eyes strayed back to the pants with longing. She'd been wearing only dresses for years, but she didn't want to be stuck in Tark's rags and her escape cloak until she could earn some currency or something to barter with.

  "Are you having any trouble, Thalia?" Summer's voice came from somewhere across the room.

  "No, just … taking my time, sorry." Thalia slipped the dress on over her head and worked her arms into the tiny sleeves. She couldn't ask if Summer had any other clothes tucked away in the spare wardrobe. Her hostess had already been generous enough.

  "Don't apologize. We're not in any rush." Summer paused. The sounds of a door opening and hearty laughter from downstairs filtered through the doorway from the hall—it must have been Vall and Glyn coming back inside, unloading the small personal craft they'd flown home, the same craft Thalia had hidden in. Floorboards creaked again, and the bedroom door clicked shut. "I think we should work on the party plans today. Glyn or Vall can deliver the invitations tomorrow."

  "Could I go with them?" Thalia's hands stopped fiddling with the laces at the back of the dress for a moment. She was eager to meet as many Alphans as she could, but suddenly the idea of being in a house full of suitors seemed daunting. How would she be able to remember so many names, faces, personalities if they were thrown at her all at once?

  "That … that might be perfect, actually," Summer said, sounding delighted. "They're all going to act differently when they're in a group of competitors."

  Thalia huffed in defeat after struggling with the ties and working them into a bow. The dress fit perfectly well, the skirt loose and graceful over her hips and thick thighs, except for the bodice being too small. She knew most of her back was visible through the crisscross of laces, which bothered her more than the amount of cleavage the tight top gave her. Being sexy, feeling sexy in her own eyes was something she wanted to embrace, but having her back exposed made her feel vulnerable.

  She glanced down at the woven top again and made a decision. It would work, dammit. She shrugged it on, loving the soft texture of the fabric, and tied the ends in a loose knot under her bust. Next she gingerly tied the sandals on, lacing them up her calves. She
could soap them clean later when she bathed.

  "Do you have a mirror?" Thalia asked as she stepped out from behind the screen.

  "Yes, in—oh! You look beautiful!" Summer clapped her hands together. "I'm so glad something fit!"

  Thalia smiled, cheeks flushed with warmth at the compliment. "Thank you. I—"

  Shouting erupted from downstairs. A door slammed.

  Summer rushed to the window and peered down into the front garden. "It's those Purists. You can tell them by the pendants they wear, encrusted with red gems."

  Thalia moved to stand beside her new friend. Below, Vall and Glyn puffed their chests up, using the threat of their bodies to press the unwelcome visitors back toward their personal craft parked outside the garden's large open gate. She recognized two of the men from the ambassador's office. One had a striking tattoo on his neck and cheek, and the other sported a thick, jagged scar running down from the top of his skull across the bridge of his nose. They were handsome, despite their menacing glares and tough looks. Although Thalia had to wonder if her opinion of Alphan beauty was biased in their favor given she'd spent years in the company of Xyrans she found repugnant in looks and demeanor.

  "I'd open the window to listen in, but they're probably speaking Alphan," Summer grumbled with a sigh. She perked up at the sight of a figure riding towards the garden's fence along the road. "Oh, that looks like Lox! This is about to get interesting, just wait."

  "Do you think we should be watching like this?" Thalia asked, feeling uncomfortable as the scar-faced Alphan sneered up at them and pointed angrily. She took a few steps back from the window, not wanting to cause the situation outside to become more heated.

  "Of course we should. This is my house, my property, too. I have a right to know what's going on here. Especially when it concerns assholes who'd rather see me back in the hands of their enemy than here, in my home, being loved by my men, carrying the future of their species." Summer rubbed her hands over her stomach as she peered down at the little crowd, wicked smugness in her smile.

  Thalia couldn't argue with that. She moved forward again as the rider, Lox, approached on his steed. At a distance the animal looked like a horse, but when the Alphan rode it through the open gate she could see it was a creature native to Alpha, not Earth. She wondered what other native animals looked like for a moment, but her attention was riveted as the bulky newcomer with his loose, disheveled braid hanging over his shoulder leapt down from his mount and marched up to the arguing group.

  Posturing, glaring, harsh gestures, and more deep shouting rippled through the gathered men until Vall growl-shouted above the others. The tallest of the men by at least a head and shoulders, it was no wonder they all stopped and deferred to him. He pointed toward their craft and said something softly, his lips moving slowly to enunciate his command.

  The Purists finally moved on, sneering at Lox as they passed him, and stalked off down the garden's little path, and then out through the gate.

  "Hmm, well that was more boring than I expected." Summer sighed, then turned away from the window at last. She held her hand out to Thalia in invitation. "Come meet Lox. He's our neighbor and dear friend."

  Thalia nodded, smiled, and took Summer's hand. She wasn't sure Lox would be interested in meeting some human after a tense argument, but she wouldn't be able to decide on her future bondmates if she never met any Alphans other than her hosts.

  ****

  Lox's eyes fixed on the strange woman in the window before she disappeared into Vall and Glyn's house. He frowned as he hitched his kaballu, Frix, to the smooth wooden rail of their front porch. They'd just arrived home and already they had guests who also had a human bondmate, which meant other highly vaunted warriors. It was insult to injury. He should have stayed home, trusting Summer would be fine if her men took another day to return.

  "Thanks for your help," Glyn said and clapped Lox on the back. "We don't need blood spilled in our garden over this ridiculous issue. Especially right now."

  "You've just returned from another successful mission. I don't think you'd have anything to worry about," Lox grumbled. He glanced back to his steed, then up to Vall where he stood on the porch. "I should go. I only came to check on Summer and the house. I didn't know you'd returned yet and were entertaining guests."

  "Just one guest." Vall grunted while his eyes shifted up and down Lox's frame, sizing him up as if he'd never laid eyes on him before.

  "Yes, just one. Thalia. She's staying with us for now. You should come inside and meet her, and then we can tell you about our victory," Glyn said, cheerful and insistent with his hand still on Lox's back, urging him toward the house.

  "The woman upstairs … I don't understand." Lox cocked his head to one side, squinting up at his old friend while remaining firmly rooted to the ground. "Is she unclaimed?"

  Glyn's hand fell away and he shrugged as he stepped up onto the porch. "She stowed away on our ship and wanted to come with us to the homeworld to find bondmates."

  Lox hesitated, peering back toward the green stretch of land beyond the garden wall. Would a human woman want to meet a coward after spending time among real warriors? If he were in her position, he wouldn't. He'd want a strong bond with strong bondmates. Men like Vall and Glyn. Or even, he hated to think it, Javek and Belten.

  "Lox!"

  Summer's voice cut through his dreary thoughts before he could fully form the decision to leave. He whipped his head back to the porch and sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes fell on Thalia. She was a vision, a human woman so like an Alphan in appearance, but beautiful in her own right. A thick, curled aura of black hair, golden-brown skin, and an innate grace that carried her down the three porch steps. His gaze roved over her every sultry curve, then right back up to her large, dark eyes that held fear and wonder in equal measure. Or at least he thought they did.

  "Nice to meet you," she said and held out her hand.

  He had no idea what to do with himself, let alone her hand. Brow furrowed, he took her fingers in a gentle grip that sent a wave of electric sensation up his arm, through his core, directly to his groin. Without thinking, he lifted her hand to his face, bowing to meet the delicate curl of her fingers over his, and placed his lips against her soft skin. She smelled so lovely he had to stop himself from darting his tongue out to taste her. His tesak, however, acted as if he had and budded sharply in his mouth. He swallowed hard, set his jaw, and willed his blasted fangs to stay hidden.

  "Lox," Summer said in a sing-song tone. "Say something before my new friend finds you rude."

  "A pleasure," he forced out, his voice a low rumble from deep in his chest as he fought to contain the swell of desire for the woman he'd just met. It reminded him of the way he felt about Korsik. Not at all like what he'd felt for Summer, who he could now see his heart and mind understood to be his family—exactly as Vall had expressed.

  They stood there for a moment, touching, scarcely breathing, staring into one another's eyes. Lox wanted to pull her into his arms, pin her to the side of the house, and—

  "Did you see the sweater she's wearing is made from that fabric Korsik wove during the winter?" Summer once again grabbed his attention.

  He let Thalia's hand slip from his grasp and took a difficult step back, away from her. She deserved better, and he was man enough to admit that fact to himself.

  At the invitation, he took in the simple sweater in the familiar fabric, gaze lingering on the tantalizing shape of her full, round breasts. He nodded, looking up at Summer again and forcing a small smile. There was no need to act like he'd never seen a woman before, no matter how captivating Thalia's body. She was clever enough to have stowed away on an Alphan ship, which meant she was indeed deserving of great warriors who would bring her pride and more gems than she could count. Not some coward who could only gawk at her.

  "Did you make it, Summer?" Lox cleared his gravelly throat and ignored Vall and Glyn mumbling to one another in the shade of the porch's roof, voices so low he cou
ldn't catch what they were discussing.

  "Yes! I'm still not that great at sewing, but it's fun. Like a puzzle." Summer nodded, then tucked a strand of loose hair behind her gem-studded ear. She moved closer to Thalia and linked their arms together, startling her guest. "Let's go inside and sit. I want to hear my men's story, don't you?"

  "I should—" Lox began.

  "We'll be very offended if you don't get your ass in the house and stop acting like we've brought home a plague," Glyn said. He arched his brows at Lox, then turned and tugged Vall through the front door.

  "Do you have a problem with unclaimed women?" Thalia's dark brows scrunched together in clear agitation, her shapely lips drawn tightly together.

  "No, it's not that," Lox said with a shake of his head. He opened his mouth, trying to think of something else to say to calm her, to prove his honesty on the matter. His body thrummed with the threat of a fight and the hidden potential for sex that he didn't want to believe was one sided. He'd heard the stories from his friends. Humans were as capable as Alphans of feeling the pull of desire to bond. He squared his shoulders and fixed her with the same hard look she'd trained on him. "I helped drive away those Purists. That should speak for my character."

  "It speaks for your loyalty to your friends." Thalia took a half step closer, encroaching again on Lox's space, her neck craned upward gracefully in contrast to her wicked scowl. "Maybe that's all."

  Summer tugged at her arm. "Thalia, don't…"

  "Listen to your friend," Lox growled through his teeth and moved so close he could feel Thalia's warmth independent of early spring air. His skin tingled with anticipation that their bodies might crash together in passion—be it anger or lust—and his tesak threatened him painfully again, making his cheek flinch.

  Her eyes searched his, her lips parted as she sucked in a sharp breath. Summer tugged at her arm again, and when she turned her head to look at her hostess, the spell was broken.

  Summer led Thalia back up the porch and into the house without another word or glance behind, leaving Lox standing on the river-stone path, tonguing the throbbing buds in his mouth and adjusting the troublesome rod in his pants.