Her Cold-Blooded Master

by Lea Linnett

  Ellie’s eyes bugged. “R-really?”

  “Of course. And not as a cleaner.” He dropped his gaze, embarrassed.

  She raised a blond eyebrow. “As what, then?”

  “Maybe you could be my tailor?” he said, only realizing halfway through that he wasn’t joking.

  Her jaw dropped. “You’re not serious.”

  “I am.” He brushed a finger down her cheek, enjoying the way it turned rosy from the touch. “Although, we may still need to call you a housekeeper in order for you to live here without attracting questions…”

  Ellie’s jaw stuttered around soundless words, her blue eyes searching his, but there was a flicker of unease in her gaze when she said, “Thank you. That’s very generous.”

  Helik looked away, shame eating at him. She deserved better than a life as a cleaner or a tailor, but he didn’t know what else he could offer.

  He was distracted by a firm pat against his thigh as Ellie knelt directly in front of him. “All right, I’ve gotta pin the in-seam. Don’t think about anything lewd, or I’ll end up pricking something I shouldn’t.” She grinned up at him mischievously, her mood brightening.

  Helik swallowed but felt his spirits lift nonetheless. “I’ll do my best.”

  It was difficult, it turned out, not to think of Ellie’s mouth enveloping him while her head bobbed near his crotch, especially now that she’d brought attention to it.

  “What did I say?!” she squawked as he stiffened, tenting the fabric of the soot through his underwear.

  “This is entirely your fault,” he said, grinning at the dark blush that overtook her features. His laughter was cut short by the sting of her flicking him through his trousers, and he bit back an unbecoming yelp. “What was that for?”

  “Trying to make it go down,” she said with a sniff. “I need it out of the way if you want this soot finished before the program ends.”

  But suddenly, with his cock hardening and Ellie’s face inches away from it, the soot seemed far less important than it had five minutes earlier. “I can think of a more fun way to get rid of it,” he said huskily, without a hint of shame.

  Having denied himself for so long, he was sometimes embarrassed at how easily he responded to Ellie’s touch. It had been… a long time, and after nothing but his hand for company for so long, even just lying beside her was enough to reawaken his desire on some nights.

  But he found it hard to feel ashamed with Ellie looking at him as she was now, even going so far as to nuzzle his hard length with her cheek.

  Helik’s thoughts were interrupted by an outraged squeak, and then Ellie recoiled, her face the picture of terror.

  “Off, off! Take them off! You’re getting… yourself all over them!” she cried, and he couldn’t help but laugh as he realized what she was worrying about. He peeled the pin-laden trousers off, grimacing when he saw the small pool of pre-cum that now spotted the fabric. Ellie took them from him with reverent care, draping them over the wide kitchen counter beside her and pulling the loose top half from his shoulders while she was at it. “Jeez, how the hell did that soak through so quick?”

  He was left standing in the living room in nothing but his underwear, and he was glad he’d closed the entrance to the balcony earlier, hiding the two of them behind a thick layer of reflective glass. It chafed him, having to be so careful even in the privacy of his own home.

  Ellie paused, her gaze lingering on his cock as it strained to escape his tight underclothes and banishing the last of his trepidation. She trapped him in the moment, keeping his mind centered and blocking out any future concerns that tried to overwhelm him.

  “Enjoying the view?”

  Her gaze flicked up to meet his, and she raised an eyebrow. “Mmhmm. Usually I’m the one being stared at, so it’s a nice change.”

  Helik grinned, unable to help himself from jutting his hips out slightly and rolling his shoulders. Her eyes darkening, Ellie stepped forward and slowly circled him just as she had when the soot was pinned to him.

  “It’s really unfair, actually,” she murmured, her blue eyes raking up his body. “Wide shoulders, thin hips, big thighs. You’d look good in practically anything.”

  Helik’s smile widened. “You know you’re speaking aloud, right?”

  She appeared in front of him, her fingers trailing down his chest. “You love it.” Her fingers dipped lower, grazing along the muscles of his stomach and drifting down.

  He pulled her into his arms with a groan, finding her lips with ease. She melted into him, opening her mouth without any resistance. It amazed him, that they could have done this so often in the past two weeks without getting bored of each other. Every time, there was something new to learn—like the way Ellie moaned when he curled his fingers in her hair or giggled when he nibbled at her earlobe—and Helik couldn’t get enough.

  But there was always that one thing that stayed out of reach.

  Ellie’s breath hitched as he backed her up against the kitchen counter, safely away from the soot and its pins. Her leg hooked around him, pulling him closer until their bodies were flush against each other, and when Helik hiked up her skirt, pressing his knuckles against her hot core through her underwear, he could feel the wetness of her arousal.

  “Helik,” she gasped, and he had to hold back the shiver it sent through him. “I really want to… go further.”

  He groaned, resting his plated forehead against her shoulder. With a grunt, he fit their hips together, the closest they could get and still light-years away from what either of them wanted. “I know.”

  “Isn’t there some way?” she asked.

  He began to say, “No, there’s nothing—” but cut himself short.

  There was something.

  He stilled against her, an idea forming. He wasn’t the only levekk to ever slip up—he knew that. There were others who abused their position, who were intrigued by humans but felt no qualms about using them up and spitting them out. They had places they would go where humans were offered up like meals, and they never left incriminating evidence behind.

  There was a thriving black market for contraceptives on CL-32—one that Helik had done his best to ignore until now, desperate not to give in.

  He pulled back, placing his palms against Ellie’s heated cheeks.

  “There might be something,” he murmured.

  Ellie’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

  “Yes, there’s… there’s contraceptives. They give them out in the military, in multi-species prisons, places like that.”

  “Can we get them?” Ellie asked, sounding eager, her chest heaving.

  “I could try,” he found himself saying. Before, the very idea of linking himself to such a purchase would have made his stomach twist with panic, but now…

  He felt a strange sort of calm.

  “If… if you’re okay with it, of course,” he added, meeting her eyes. “It’s risky.”

  “I am so very okay with it,” Ellie insisted, her fingernails digging into the scales on his arms. “I trust you.”

  Helik felt his arousal abruptly recede as a lance of shock pierced through him, but hot on its heels was a warmth that suffused his whole body. He had nothing to say to that, only a wordless need to be near her, and before he knew it, his face was buried in the human’s neck, the two of them clinging tightly to each other.

  Her heartbeat pulsed against his lips, her skin scorching. Neither of them spoke, but Ellie’s soft fingerpads raked desperately down his back, mirroring the clutch of his claws against hers. They were connected from head to hip, pressed so close that Helik thought his blood might boil in his veins from the heat of her in his arms.

  The silence was broken by a shrill screech as Helik’s wristlet screamed to life beside them, and for one unending second, he was sure it was over. That was an alarm, a warning, some kind of sign that the enforcers were finally here. They were going to lock him in and drag Ellie out the door and it would be all his fault.

  But wh
en he jumped back from her, Ellie’s hands remained warm on his scales, soothing him.

  He snatched up the bleating machine to see the call notification flashing, his panic flaring.

  “It’s Devis,” he said, gasping as if someone had punched him in the gut. “Great fucking timing,” he complained, and Ellie laughed weakly. She looked as exhausted as he felt, watching him with an odd look in her eye.

  But then she smiled, fanning herself with a hand, and slid off the counter. “You gonna answer that?” she teased, moving into the kitchen and fetching a glass of water.

  Helik stared down at the wristlet, which was still screaming. He’d been trying to get in touch with Devis all week, ever since Ellie had confided her worries to him, but had had no luck so far. He’d never known Devis to be so hard to contact, and it worried him.

  So of course she would call now.

  He sighed wearily, but answered the call, hoping he didn’t sound too breathless as he greeted the levekk female.

  “Helik, hey, I thought it was gonna ring out.”

  “I was…” His gaze cut to Ellie who was guzzling down water like a woman who’d been lost in the desert. What… had just happened between them? He shook his head, trying to sharpen his senses again. “I was in the bathroom, sorry.”

  “Right.” Devis sounded distracted, her voice reedier than usual. “Sorry to call at night, I… You’ve been trying to get in touch.”

  “Yeah. I wanted to ask you about something.”

  “Sorry. I’ve been… busy.”

  She was cagey, and he didn’t like it, Ellie’s fears floating back to him. “I’d rather talk about it in person. Can we meet?”

  “Sure,” she sighed, and her tone was odd. “Next week? After the next Monitor meeting? The humans will be out socializing.”

  He blinked, unsure why that was relevant. “Sounds good,” he managed, but privately he thought that this conversation was anything but. Devis was confident and bold, never hesitant. She didn’t sound like herself.

  “Great. I have to go. See you then.”

  “See you.”

  The wristlet clicked off without fanfare, and Helik was left staring at it with his brow plate furrowed. He was still there when Ellie crossed the kitchen, reaching for his hand over the counter.

  “You okay? You look upset.”

  He blinked at her, and then down at the glass of water in her other hand. “Could I…?”

  She nodded, passing it over, and he drank deeply, unsure if he’d ever felt so thirsty before. Something inside him felt off-kilter, like the entire world had somehow swiveled on its axis. Ellie was looking similarly perturbed, her palm warm in his.

  “Shall we go to bed?” she asked, squeezing his fingers. “We can just sleep.”

  For a moment, he felt as if he should argue, but then realized with a jolt that that was all he wanted right now. To lie down, with her warm body pressed close to his, their lungs rising and falling in sync.

  Ellie circled the counter, hugging him chastely, and he soaked up her warmth like someone starved.

  They went up to Helik’s bed in silence, and as he hugged her smaller body close, the odd feeling slipped away, replaced with a comfort that seeped into his bones.

  He didn’t dream that night, pulled deep into the darkness by Ellie’s slow heartbeat thrumming against his ear.

  18

  Ellie walked into the humans’ usual dance hub with a spring in her step.

  After the Monitor meeting that morning, she’d spent the afternoon working on Helik’s soot, and it was finally starting to take shape. She could picture it fitted to his body when she looked at it now, and it always made her heart soar. And that wasn’t all; she’d also made good progress on Anna’s dress over the past week, and she’d started to fly through her cleaning each day with a new kind of efficiency, leaving her more time for sewing.

  And more time for Helik.

  They were inseparable. It wasn’t uncommon for him to press against her back while she cooked or for her to slide into his lap when he was relaxing in the library. And if that leisure time sometimes happened when she was on the clock, like the time Ellie entered the gym to clean only to find Helik using the machines, his muscles jumping with exertion, then that was okay. She still never interrupted him when he was in his office, and he did her the courtesy of leaving her be when she needed to work. Usually.

  As they grew closer, Ellie struggled to remember why this had ever seemed like a bad idea. She woke up smiling whenever she felt the levekk’s head resting against her stomach, and even Helik seemed more relaxed, his tongue-tied panic and tense posture seeping away as the days progressed.

  There was only one thing that gave her pause. Ever since the night she’d fitted his soot, Ellie had felt a strange sensation deep in her belly whenever he looked at her, something fluttery and warm. Sometimes, she found herself reaching for him with soft intentions, seeking only the comforting coolness of his embrace rather than the sizzle of sex.

  They still had sex—plenty of it—and the thought of it had her crossing her legs to cover an itch of arousal as she sat at a table with the other humans in the hub. But beneath it was a deeper longing, one that begged her to go home to Helik rather than sit here and gossip.

  “I still can’t believe the levekk are going to celebrate Christmas,” one of the girls at the table said with wonder, shaking her head, and Ellie tried to focus.

  “Isn’t it crazy?” said another. “How’d they even know about it?”

  “I suggested it,” said Anna, ducking her head. “When they put out the call for cultural activities.”

  Ellie’s eyes lit up. “Were you also the one that told them yellow was a Christmas color?” she asked. She’d almost busted a gut when Helik told her, his confusion bringing tears to her eyes.

  Anna grinned, toying with her hair. “I may have had a dress in mind,” she said, glancing at Ellie.

  “I’ll have it ready for you, for sure,” she said, unable to keep the smile from her face.

  “Yes!” The tanned girl gave a small fist-pump, making Ellie roll her eyes fondly. Anna had been less moody lately, perking up whenever Ellie mentioned the dress, much to her relief.

  “Maybe I should get you to make something for me,” said Cara, as everyone around the table retreated back into more private conversations.

  “I’d be happy to,” Ellie said with a shrug, but she paused at Cara’s next words.

  “I feel like it’s the only way I’ll get to see you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She smiled, but her gaze was hawkish. “You’ve been missing in action, girl. No more shopping trips, and you disappear during the day after the Monitor meetings. Is something going on?”

  Ellie froze, already feeling a faint heat across her cheeks. “Well, I’ve been busy with Anna’s dress.”

  The brunette raised her eyebrow. “Just Anna’s dress?”

  Fuck. Did Cara know something? Had she worked it out—or had Ellie let something slip by accident? She felt a bolt of panic strike through her chest, her mind reeling. But then she thought of Helik standing in the living room with a few dozen pins sticking out of him, and had an idea. She could tell some of the truth.

  “I—uh…” She took a deep breath, twisting her fingers together. “I was asked by Mr. Kaan to make some human clothes for him. For the cultural exchange thing. It’s meant to be a show of good faith, or whatever.”

  She grimaced at Cara, hoping that would be enough to sate her curiosity, and while the woman looked confused, she was no longer searching her quite so intensely. “Wait, what the hell kind of human clothes would he want to wear?”

  “You know men’s soots? From before the Invasion? He wanted something formal.”

  Cara sat back, looking surprised. “Jeez, that’s even more obscure than Christmas.”

  “What? Christmas isn’t obscure,” said Anna, leaning around Ellie to give the other girl a bewildered look. “I celebrate it every ye
ar.”

  “I’ve never celebrated it.” Cara turned to Ellie. “And I’ve never seen anyone wear a ‘soot’. Where’d you even come up with that?”

  “It was in an old fashion book.” Ellie shrugged. “And people still know what they are. They just don’t have any reason to wear them.”

  Cara pulled a face, obviously still unconvinced, but Ellie ignored her. She couldn’t wait to see how the levekk looked in it. But when she caught the other woman’s eye again, she found her head tilted in thought.

  “What?”

  Cara shrugged. “I dunno. I was just thinking that Kaan has you doing a lot of extra jobs. The soot, the conferences…”

  Ellie went pale, and hoped the other woman couldn’t see it under the lights of the hub. “Well, he is the guy running this whole thing.”

  “But all that on top of cleaning?” said Cara, cocking an eyebrow. “You do still clean, right?”

  “Of course I do!” Ellie tried to keep the note of panic out of her voice, but wasn’t sure if she managed it. Cara’s brown eyes looked almost black in the hub, blank and expressionless.

  “I just hope he’s not overworking you,” she said, and then her face softened. For a moment, she reminded Ellie of Lena, her brows flattening in concern. “We should all be getting paid for shit like that.”

  Relief hit Ellie like a speeding transport. “Oh, well, he gave me an extra allowance for the sewing work. I think it’s pretty fair.”

  “Good.”

  As the brunette looked away, Ellie noticed her gaze tracking the faces around the table. She then looked out at the hub, searching the crowd. “Looking for Scott?” Ellie asked.

  Cara turned back to her. “He didn’t show up for the meeting this morning.”

  “Are you guys worried?” asked Anna, her small brows furrowing.

  “After that black eye last time? Kind of.” Cara dropped her gaze, reaching for her drink.

  Ellie wanted to tell them that she’d asked Helik to check it out, but she couldn’t get the words past her lips. It was too risky. She didn’t want them thinking she was getting special treatment—especially Cara. It was only a few steps from that to what they were doing, and as much as she liked Cara and Anna, she suspected they wouldn’t be able to keep her secret.