Stowaway

by Elliot Cooper

  "Korsik and Lox can know what we're up to. They'll understand, they'll know it's not how you really feel," Summer said, her expression hopeful.

  "I'll think about it," Thalia said. She excused herself and headed to the bathroom, eager to refresh herself before finally getting something to eat. She'd ignored how hungry she was, but her growling stomach was an insistent, uncomfortable reminder.

  After cleaning up, she redressed in the robe, tying it tightly around her waist and trying not to focus too much on how sensual the fabric felt against her skin. The lacy edge on the plunging collar made her feel even sexier than the dress Summer had given her, but dinner with friends wasn't the time to wantonly flaunt her body. Even if she did want to get intimate with Korsik and Lox again.

  They'd been careful, cautious with her, but beneath the surface, she could feel Lox's restraint. Korsik's too, though he'd been more open in touching her with sensual roughness that excited her even as a memory. There was so much left for them yet to explore. One encounter hadn't been enough.

  She slipped her cropped sweater back on again, fingering the fabric and wondering if Korsik or Lox would be interested in learning to knit. Even if they weren't, she'd be happy to make some clothing and blankets from their yarn for them to sell. That could be how she'd make some income and make herself useful as more than just a sex partner. She smiled to herself in the mirror before heading back downstairs to join the little dinner party.

  Even if she'd let her heart rule over her head, she was confident she'd made the right choice in the two Alphans waiting for her in the dining room.

  ****

  Glyn's exciting retelling of his and Vall's mission was exactly the sort of entertainment Korsik needed after the altercation when they'd arrived. The meal was wonderful, as was the company, and his thoughts drifted to future plans, to making Thalia an official part of his and Lox's family. Becoming a trio, not only in their own eyes, but in everyone's eyes. An indisputable bond no one could sunder.

  But as they settled into the sitting room and his mind drifted to picture the claiming ceremony, a vision of Javek and Belten rushing forward to usurp their claim ruined his daydream. Maybe Lox had been right after all. What if this was a fool's enterprise, despite the incredible pull they all had to one another?

  "This might hurt a little. Just be still," Thalia told Lox. She bent to kiss the tip of his ear, then began brushing the black waves of his hair from her position behind the dining chair he sat in, careful to avoid knocking the brush against his horns.

  "Your father taught you to braid hair?" Korsik asked, still curious about human culture. It seemed they brought very little of it with them to Alpha. But then, much of it had been destroyed or lost as Earth went through its prolonged death throes. He could tell that Thalia was a different ethnicity from Summer and Mina, another neighbor's human bondmate. That in and of itself was fascinating to him, given Alphans didn't share such physical diversity.

  "Yeah, he needed help keeping up with my brother's hair, and he wanted to pass the skill down to us. Me and Harnell. Knitting, too. So we could make our own clothes and blankets no matter how tough it got for us," Thalia said, beaming with pride.

  "What did your mother teach you?" Lox asked.

  "She died not long after Harnell was born. I was still little. I don't really remember much about her anymore. But she loved to sing, and she seemed happy, I think, even though we didn't have much but each other." She pulled a metal comb from the sash of her borrowed robe and began to part Lox's hair.

  A few minutes passed while everyone watched Thalia work with Lox's hair, her fingers deft, the comb held between her lips. It was relaxing to watch. Lox's placid expression was wonderful to see, too. He'd become too worked up about Javek and Belten earlier.

  "Thalia, did you think anymore about the party?" Summer asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

  "I don't … I don't think it's a good idea," Thalia said, avoiding Summer's imploring eyes.

  "We could have a welcome home party instead," Glyn said. He slung his arm around Summer's shoulders where they sat next to one another on the settee.

  "And well you should after such a victory. Those Xyran scum are growing more and more—" Lox grunted and winced, but held still.

  "Sorry," Thalia murmured, but didn't stop weaving a section of Lox's hair into an even braid, tight against his scalp.

  "They're disgusting. Ruthless. Unconscionable," Vall supplied. "But yes, a celebration is in order."

  "Don't you think we should all do something to keep Javek and Belten from trying to undermine Lox and Korsik's claim?" Summer asked, changing the subject back.

  "They've been itching for a fight for over a year," Lox grumbled. He clenched his jaw, then closed his eyes and tried to relax again. "We can't take them in combat. Korsik's lost too much strength. I'm not in much better shape. Not against the pair of them."

  "So we have to keep them from fighting you," Thalia said as if it were the simplest option.

  "They won't stop trying to fight us now that they know we've bonded with you, Thalia. Their jealousy won't allow them," Korsik said. The only way he could see to make them stop would be to provide a woman for them to claim themselves. Then they'd have to leave well enough alone, but that wasn't an option available to them. Especially not with the current embargo the Purists were attempting to enforce. That part of Glyn's story had been disheartening.

  "Which is why I say we have our party for Thalia. Explain she's decided to keep her options open after all, even though the six of us know the truth," Summer said, leaning against Glyn, her hand resting on his thigh. "Then, afterward, they can't begrudge her for making her choice from the many men she's met."

  "Or they'll face even more opposition in the claiming ceremony," Vall said. He shot Summer a dark look from his chair beside the low crackling fire in the hearth.

  "What's to stop them from using the same argument they did earlier? That we've tricked her, somehow, and this early bond made it obvious who she'd choose?" Korsik said, irritated with the lack of a clear path. He'd always been a follower, a good soldier. He was good at taking orders, good at seeing them through. It was surprises he couldn't deal with properly. That's where he'd failed in battle.

  It was why it had been so important that he and Lox come up with a plan for their future. And now, he wasn't sure where he stood on that front. Would they be able to survive a fight for their right to claim Thalia? For her right to claim them? Could either one of them stand to not fight for their fledgling bond?

  "That's a fair point," Glyn said, going quiet in contemplation. "They're all fair points, unfortunately."

  Summer sulked against Glyn's side, obviously upset her idea had been rejected.

  "Can the ambassador do anything to help? Given my special circumstances?" Thalia asked, working a second braid against Lox's head, parallel to the first.

  "Hmm, perhaps. But he's under heavy pressure from the Purists. If they weren't afraid to show up at our doorstep, I doubt they'd be afraid to pester him at his home," Vall said. "It's best if we try to tackle this problem on our own."

  "I think it's time for some wine," Glyn said with a sigh.

  "Agreed," Korsik and Lox said at once.

  For now they'd exhausted the topic. None of them had any foolproof solution to the issue that was Korsik and Lox's collective inability to protect their claim. Korsik tried not to dwell on the obvious: they didn't deserve to make a claim they couldn't defend in open combat.

  ****

  Hours later, Thalia yawned as Lox ushered her into his modest bathroom. She'd finished braiding his hair, glad he had an undercut after she'd gotten halfway through his thick strands. She'd made cornrows along the top of his head, then let the braids hang loose to join all the others she'd made. It was a very handsome look, and Korsik had approved of the style, too. Lox seemed pleased he wouldn't have to worry about keeping his hair out of his face until he was ready for a new style.

  The evening ha
d taken its toll on her, however, even after watching the men play cards when Summer retired to bed early. She'd not been happy after their serious talk about the threat of Javek and Belten, and she'd been more upset after Lox insisted Thalia move in with them immediately.

  But Thalia wasn't going to protest being near Lox and Korsik. Not when she was still worried about how long the arrangement would really last. For now, though, all she wanted to do was enjoy her time with them. Take her bath with them like she'd wanted to after their tryst. She took note of how the large tub worked, finding the rush of water sounded too soothing to her tired ears.

  "Let me help you out of these," Lox said and untied the front of her sweater. Then he let loose the sash on the silky robe and the front panels fell open. He sucked in a breath as he took in the sight of her naked body.

  She wasn't so tired that she couldn't flirt with her new lover. A roll of her shoulders, a swish of her hips, and the robe fell away to pool on the bathroom's cool tile floor. Lox leaned in, kissed her possessively, his hands leaving trails of tingling pleasure everywhere he touched her bare skin.

  Thalia drank in the wanton caresses as she darted her tongue out to press between Lox's lips. He paused for a second, seemingly confused, but then he accepted the tiny invasion and swiped his tongue over hers, matching her needy exploration of his mouth. This was the sort of connection she wanted, both her and her lover desperate for one another. Or all three of them. Which left her aching for Korsik to finish cleaning up in the living room and kitchen so he could join them before they got serious about bathing.

  Her hands tugged at the fastenings on Lox's shirt, then his pants. They broke apart so he could finish stripping, and it was Thalia's turn to stare, to admire the finely muscled beauty that was the Alphan before her. He was half of her dream made real. When she touched him again she took her time tracing her fingertips over the hard ridges of his abs, up to the defined curves of his pecs, and finished by trailing her nails over his flat nipples until they rose to little nubs.

  "I've wanted you for so long," Lox murmured and gathered her into his arms. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then pulled his face away enough to look at her again. "I didn't know it was you … but I craved this. What you've brought to us. A bond with a human woman to make our lives complete."

  "Me too. I wanted this. Needed it." She reached up to stroke the gentle curve of one of his small, ebony horns. They were so curious to her, so ethereally attractive. When Lox tilted his head into her touch, eyes closed and a pleasured hum in his throat, she felt free to trace her fingers around the base of the horn. His hard cock flexed against her where it was trapped between them, and she grinned.

  This was right where she needed to be. If only Korsik would hurry up.

  "Was the kitchen that messy?" Thalia stroked her hand down over a deep scar on the hard line of Lox's boxy jaw. She wanted to learn his and Korsik's every detail. Every scar. Every sensitive spot.

  "No," Lox said, brows furrowing suddenly. "He might have wanted to sit down after taking some things out to the compost—"

  A muffled roar rose over the sound of the water filling the tub. Lox shut off the water. The sound, a voice, bellowed again from somewhere outside.

  "That's Korsik." Lox darted out of the room, stark naked.

  Thalia's heart jumped in her throat as her mind raced directly to the worst conclusion. She couldn't cower in the house while Korsik and Lox faced danger alone. She quickly dressed again, then hurried out to her bag in the sitting room and pulled on her cloak. Outside, the sounds of battle grew louder, reminding her of Vall and Glyn's battle with Tark and his underlings. What exactly did she plan to do other than get in the way? She didn't know how to use any weapons, didn't even know where any might be stashed in the house. But she could sneak away for help.

  She slipped through the front door, hearing the clamor coming from the open door that led from the kitchen to the courtyard. Voices shouted cruel words in Alphan, reminding her she really needed to take up study of the language. If she managed to stick around.

  A personal craft and two kaballu stood in the yard, blocking the path to the road. On foot she'd take too long to reach Vall and Glyn, but in a ship she'd make it there in no time. She'd asked Glyn a lot of questions about flying Alphan craft on their journey. Handling a small, personal ship had to be easy enough to do on her own. Even if she wrecked it on the landing, she wouldn't care. All she had to do was make it to Vall and Glyn's.

  Chapter Seven

  Lamplight spilled onto the stones of the courtyard, illuminating the men wielding gaff sticks. Lox hadn't seen the small bludgeoning sticks since his training days. The Purist scum meant to injure, not to kill.

  "Surrender her now and we'll leave," Javek piped up from the middle of the group, short hair spiked down the center of his head as usual. He stepped forward, smacking a gaff stick against the flat of his palm.

  "Why are you with this rabble?" Korsik asked from where he'd been beaten to the ground. He dug his cane against the paving stones and tried to push himself up, but sank back down with a grunt.

  "We think the Purist point of view is right after all. This unclaimed human woman has caused problems just by being here," Javek said. "She belongs back on Earth. With her own kind."

  "She'll do nothing here but dilute our bloodlines," one of the older men in the group said, his tone full of menace.

  "And these two pathetic worms don't deserve offspring," Javek added.

  "Speak for yourself," Lox growled and marched forward, fists balled and ready to fight. He'd take them all on at once, naked, weaponless. Anything to defend his bondmates.

  Javek stepped forward and swung, but Lox dodged sideways. He ducked under another swing as Javek let out a fresh, angry battle cry.

  "This doesn't have to be the way!" another of the Purists called out. "We don't want to hurt either of you!"

  "Liars!" Korsik bellowed behind Lox. "Who calls for peace with a weapon in his hand?"

  "Warriors!" Belten shouted.

  "What madness have you caught from our enemies?" Korsik couldn't believe his ears. Belten was far from intelligent, but even he should be able to see that sneaking onto other men's property in the night and causing them violence without real provocation was disgraceful behavior. They'd all intended to get away with their dirty scare tactics without a word from the men they saw as beneath them. Even the old, retired warriors in the group.

  These were Xyran tactics, not the designs of honorable Alphans.

  Lox swung his fist at Javek's leering face. A gaff stick slammed into his arm from the right, and he roared his pain, then lunged at his new enemy, hands wrapped tight around the elder Alphan's throat. A small voice in his head told him to stop, told him the last shreds of his honor were at stake. His boiling blood sang a different song. A song that called for protection. A song that ignored the hail of blows raining down on his back and legs from weapons and kicking legs alike.

  There was plenty of light for him to see the panicked look in his enemy's eyes as he struggled to take a breath, fingers clawing ineffectually at his hands. A kick to the groin took his breath away. He curled inward, trying to protect his naked body, but he didn't let go. The Purist squirmed under Lox's weight as he dropped on top of him, unable to support his own weight as pain shocked through him.

  "Stop!" the Purist squealed, finally able to suck air into his lungs. "Retreat!"

  Lox growled as the blows ceased and tightened his grip on the Purist's throat again. He'd crush it this time.

  ****

  "Never!" Javek shouted and danced around the men struggling on the ground.

  The others had backed off, aghast. Even Belten looked unsure, gaff stick dangling from his meaty fist.

  Korsik saw his opportunity at last. He gave up his charade of weakness and sprang to his feet with a wince. His leg tried to give out, and he fell back against the thaspan tree, creating another fresh bruise to add to his growing collection.

 
; Javek raised his gaff stick high over his head.

  Now or never.

  Korsik took his solid metal cane in both hands, limped forward two steps, and swung at Javek's head. A sick crunch rent the air. Javek stumbled to the side, swaying. The gaff stick clattered to the paving stones, and then Javek followed it, collapsing in a heap behind Lox's feet.

  "Anyone else want to challenge our claim?" Korsik bellowed as Belten rushed forward to his fallen bondmate.

  A gentle hum of an engine caught Korsik's attention, but he didn't take his eyes off the gathered group or lower his guard. He'd beat them all until they truly suppressed him if he had to. He'd protect his bondmate if it was the last thing he accomplished in life.

  Light illuminated the group as the small craft flew into view from the front of the house. The Purists lifted their arms over their eyes, then scattered like disturbed atsad flies. Lox finally released the coward he'd tackled, then pushed himself to his feet and turned toward Korsik.

  Belten hauled an unmoving Javek onto his shoulders and shot both of them a resigned look, his mouth drawn in a frown. He nodded once, then turned and loped off into the dark.

  The craft lowered to land in the open space between the courtyard and the small stable. Vall and Glyn both jumped out of their vehicle, weapons drawn and ready.

  "They won't be back," Lox said and rubbed at his side.

  "Thalia flew their craft to our house. We'll need some help repairing our gate." Vall hefted his quad blade a few times, then marched off around the front of the house shouting after any stragglers.

  "He's not as angry as he sounds," Glyn said before he ducked around the back of the house.

  Thalia hopped out of the ship and ran to them, eyes frantic as she looked both men over, hands up as if she were afraid to touch them.

  Korsik couldn't take the frightened look those bastards had forced on her. Fear wasn't something he ever wanted her to have to feel again. He leaned on his cane, limped to her, and gathered her in the protective circle of his arms. "We're fine. Everything's going to be fine."