A Promise for Vore: A Sci Fi Alien Romance (Tallean Mercenaries Book 3)

by Lynnea Lee

  Kean sauntered in with a smug grin on his face, and two blissed-out guards trailed behind him. Intent on the delectable female sprawled on the bed, the guards didn’t notice the two males. It was an easy kill, and they now had two blasters.

  “You two take them. I’ll carry Lettie down.” Vore did not want to allow Kean to suggest it first. He looked at his female. Lettie looked much more alert. The Euphora must be fading from her system—the short nap had helped. “She won’t be able to climb like we do.”

  “I don’t think I can even run in these heels. I’ll break an ankle.” Lettie kicked off the strappy stripper heels. “I think it’s best to go barefoot.”

  “It’s not safe. There are a fair number of drunken guests, and there might be broken bottles and glasses the servers have not cleaned up. And it’s dark. I will carry you the whole way.”

  “But you won’t be able to fight.” Lettie looked aghast.

  “Vore will carry you,” Ulrek seconded. Then to Vore, “We will cover you.”

  “I can’t believe I’m relying on you to have my back. We should be trying to kill each other.”

  “The feeling’s mutual.”

  “Suck it up, Vore.” It was Arus. “And Kean, if you are still listening, you might be getting my male out now. But you are going to need the Defiant’s help leaving the planet. And tell Ulrek that if he wants to add a Dominion warship to his new fleet, he should remember we are currently on the same team.”

  “Cal plans on stealing the warships?” Vore was shocked. Unlike himself, Cal was usually risk-aversed. “That’s risky.”

  “Zey gave us the go-ahead. The Second Chance is almost here, and the first thing Trenton did with the credits he earned was put bigger guns on it. He is eager to use it against the Dominion. These humans hold a grudge.” Arus laughed. “Ulrek has a ship here too, just out of sight. It will be tough to go against two warships, but we can handle them.”

  Kean relayed the information. Ulrek, who had been in contact with his own ship, already knew the Defiant’s plan. But he snarled at the mention of the Second Chance. Formerly called the Stellar Fortune, the ship had once been under his command. It now belonged to a human named Trenton Walker.

  “Just get somewhere safe, lie low, and let us save the day.”

  “Fuck off!” Vore and Kean both barked.

  The climb down to the garden was nerve-wracking as Lettie latched onto Vore’s back for dear life. She was glad for all the hours spent on the monkey bars as a kid. Who would have known that Lettie had learned her most useful survival skill on the playground at recess? First, it had saved her from the dragus. Now it was helping her escape.

  They had waited for the extra guards to rush to the front, when Ulrek’s men attacked the front gate, before descending the vertical wall. They landed undetected. Ulrek and Kean moved ahead to take out the first pair of guards, and Vore and Lettie followed close behind.

  “Shit. I wish I had night vision like you.” Even if she had been wearing running shoes, she wouldn’t have been able to make it on her own. She couldn’t see a damn thing.

  “As I promised before, I will be your eyes.”

  Had he promised that? It must have been back on Reka 5 after she had broken her glasses. What else had he said to her while her translator had malfunctioned? Vore had promised her many things since the day they had met, and Lettie was happy to report that he had delivered in all of it.

  The pair of ex Dominion elites pushed forward, taking down another pair of guards. Behind them, a pair of boots rounded the corner. Vore moved fast. He lowered Lettie to the ground before charging at the new guard. A few punches later and the guard sagged on the ground. Vore took his blaster before picking Lettie up again. They moved up to follow their vanguard.

  Softly lit by a blinking green light, the landing pad was within sight. This was too easy:, Lettie didn’t trust it.

  A voice shouted behind them. Ulrek turned and fired his blaster and the guard dropped to the ground, his comm clattering beside him. Had the guard gotten the alarm out? For a moment, Lettie was hopeful. Then the entire garden lit up with bright lights. Shit! They’d been found.

  They burst into a sprint towards the landing pad. Where was the transport?

  “They are almost here. We need to hold our ground.”

  Easier said than done. The first of the guards rounded the corner. Blaster fire flew at them, and they ducked behind a pair of lewd statues. Lettie hadn’t noticed the figures in the dark, but now she gawked at them. The statues were of a couple doing it doggy-style. This part of the garden was the scene of a granite orgy. Next to the couple they hid behind, was a statue of a Tallean woman sandwiched between two Tallean males, her face frozen in bliss. Not far away, a granite male lounged on a granite couch, his hands on his cock as he took in the scene.

  More blaster fire came in, singeing the statues.

  They shot back, keeping the growing number of guards at bay.

  “Where the fuck is this transport, Ulrek?”

  “It’s coming. Just—”

  More blaster fire forced them to duck. Several shots peppered the ground in front of Lettie’s feet, and she tucked them in closer to her body. Vore shot back, and someone screamed. One of the shots must have found its mark. Vore was the hottest thing she had ever seen. It was as if she had her very own action hero.

  Wow, I’m in a life or death situation, and I’m gawking at how hot Vore is? Her life sure had gotten interesting since leaving Earth.

  The sound of an incoming transport reached her ears a moment before its shadow darkened the area. The transport hovered above them, lowering carefully onto the landing pad. Two of Ulrek’s goons leaned out. One was a tatted up human. They fired their weapons in an arc, forcing Jotah’s guards to duck for cover. Vore ran towards their rescue. They were so close!

  Giving her a shove, Vore pushed her up onto the platform before lifting onto it himself. They made it! But as the door slid shut behind them, blaster fire started up from outside again. A stray shot made it in and hit Vore in the shoulder.

  “Nooo!” Her voice sounded as if it was far away.

  Red blossomed on Vore’s shoulder and spread across his chest.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  With the Defiant, the Second Chance, and Ulrek’s ship, the Revenge, still fighting the Dominion, their little group holed up in an abandoned shipping yard. Lettie paced the narrow corridor between the unused shipping crates. The last of the Euphora was fading from her system, leaving her antsy and fidgety. She reached for her glasses, looking for something to fidget with, but was reminded that she no longer wore them. The med beds worked miracles, and Vore needed to get to one ASAP. She paced some more.

  It didn’t help that she was surrounded by temporary allies who could turn on her. She knew that Vore would protect her with his life, but currently, he was not able to even defend himself.

  Vore leaned against a wall, his arm useless by his side. They had stopped the bleeding, but until they could get him onto a med bed on the Defiant, his arm was mostly useless. The blaster shot had torn away some of the flesh and damaged the brachial plexus, the network of nerves which controlled his arm. The wound looked horrible, and Lettie wasn’t sure how he was still alive, never mind awake and alert.

  The only other human had been astonished as well. “Damn tough sons of bitches, these aliens. I would have bled out already.”

  The other Talleans had reacted as if injuries like this were nothing serious. Though Kean had offered Vore another dose of Euphora, which he had turned down.

  Hardened, unscrupulous criminals surrounded them, and it was crucial Vore did not show weakness. He hid his pain well, but Lettie saw past his stoic exterior.

  As dawn arrived, Arus and Mia joined them, and Lettie finally relaxed.

  “You made it out alive!” Mia gave Lettie a big hug. “I was scared for you out there. Things were looking hairy.”

  “Vore kept me safe.
” Lettie beamed at him. Then, her face fell. “But if he hadn’t been carrying me, he wouldn’t have been shot. I slowed him down.”

  “Nonsense! You did great.” Vore said. “We are a team.”

  Mia cringed at the sight of Vore. “Holy shit, Vore! You need a med bed.”

  “The bleeding has stopped. I will be fine.”

  Kean stepped in. “I’m going to venture that you were in there for more than a party. And Lettie is more than a slave.” Then he looked at Mia before turning to Arus. “And so is she.”

  “And you are correct.” Arus stepped up. “Kean, we finally meet.”

  “Arus.” Kean nodded once before looking back at Mia. “You might be a better male for the job than I first expected. I assume you already know what I’m talking about.”

  “You are looking for a way for humans and Talleans to procreate.”

  Lettie perked up. She had caught snippets through her communicator but hadn’t realized the full meaning. Procreate? As in babies? Was it possible? She stole a look at Vore, and he was listening intently. Would he want to have children with her? They had never spoken of it. She had never thought it was possible. When she had considered a Tallean mate, she did so believing that children were an impossibility. She had been more concerned with faithfulness.

  “Fuck! You aliens are gonna take all our bitches!”

  Mia frowned at the human on Ulrek’s team. “Well, you ain’t gonna get any anyway, if you keep referring to us as bitches!” Lettie backed up Mia’s words with a glare.

  Kean ignored them. “Gallus approached me a while ago. He was willing to back a large sum for the research. I turned it down at first. But recently, leaked research coming out of Dominion labs made me reconsider.” Kean rubbed at his chin. “There is still much work to be done, but with the right team—” He looked expectantly at Arus.

  “Research? The Favored are against cross-breeding of any kind. Why would they spend credits on this path of research?”

  “I use the word research loosely. It was an accidental discovery. The Favored have funded a lab to breed humans for slaves. Since the humans stolen from Earth were too independent and intelligent to make good slaves, they have decided to breed and brainwash humans from birth for their purpose.”

  An angry sound came from Arus. Lettie felt sick just hearing it. The Favored and their Dominion had to be stopped!

  Kean continued. “To reduce downtime, they drug the females with fertility drugs to force them to conceive again immediately after they give birth. At a recent examination, they found a female carrying a mixed embryo. She miscarried a few days later, but it proves that conception between the two species is possible with a bit of help.”

  “Conception is far from a healthy offspring.” Arus looked doubtful.

  “That’s where we come in. Gallus contacted me again and increased the offer. As you know, he acquired one of the first female humans from Earth. He brings her everywhere and never leaves her side. The rumor is that they have formed a mating bond.” Kean looked carefully at Mia and Lettie. “Is that possible?”

  Vore spoke. “Yes, and you are lucky I did not kill you for trying to lure away my mate.”

  “He never had a chance, Vore.” Lettie put a calming hand on his knee. “I belong to you.”

  Mollified, Vore settled back down. Lettie didn’t want him to move more than necessary.

  “Gallus is not the only one funding this project. An arms dealer on Vosthea and an unnamed Dominion captain have added to the pool. I’m assembling a team to work with me to find a solution.”

  Indecision flitted across Arus’s face. “I won’t leave Mia alone, and Vosthea is not somewhere I wish for her to live. I also refuse to test on slaves.”

  “Most of the work can be done anywhere you have a lab, even on the Defiant. With our funds, we can have a portable lab built for you. As for participants, Gallus has already offered a solution. We will recruit willing couples. Gallus is sure many couples will be excited to pioneer the first Tallean/human births.”

  Arus looked to Mia, and the excited look on her face decided for him. “Consider me a part of your team.” He placed his fist on his chest, and Kean returned the gesture.

  Arus’s PPC dinged, and he answered the comm; it was Tanith.

  “Congratulations. We are now the proud owners of two new Dominion warships. The Defiant is keeping one of them, and one is yours, Ulrek. As for the weapons on board, the Second Chance is keeping them. A token for their help.”

  Another call joined in. Curious, Lettie leaned in to see who it was and recognized Trenton’s face. Ulrek scowled.

  “Still upset about us taking your ship? I ain’t thought we’d be fixin’ to work together so soon.” Trenton spoke with a rich southern drawl.

  “Don’t get used to it, human.”

  “Don’t plan to. But this here was lucrative all round. Great doing business with y’all.”

  “I don’t even know who’s the bad guy anymore!” A pretty redhead came on screen.

  “Sophie!” Mia waved. “I wondered what happened to you. I didn’t see you at Reka 5.”

  “The Second Chance needed a medic.” Sophie narrowed her eyes at Ulrek. “Just for the record, I suggested handing you over to the Dominion or dropping you in a pit full of snakes.”

  “Still feisty as ever, just the way I love them.” Ulrek snapped his teeth at the woman on the screen.

  Sophie flipped him the bird before storming off. “Why are we helping the bad guy?” she asked in the background. Clearly, Sophie had had a bad run in with Ulrek in the past.

  “We are mercenaries. And this time, it made sense to work together.” Trenton shrugged.

  Lettie was a bit confused about who was good and who was bad herself. When she had first walked into Jotah’s estate, she thought of Kean and Ulrek as the enemies. Vore had acted similarly. But when their goals aligned, they fought side by side.

  When she had first met Vore, she had thought of him as “bad” because of her personal beliefs. Then her perspective had shifted. As her mate, he was the “good guy.” But at the party, he had mingled with the worse the galaxy had to offer. If she ever needed a reminder that life was all shades of gray depending on her perspective, she got it now.

  Cal’s face came on screen. “We are sending you a pick up now. Try to stay alive.”

  Arus shut off the PPC.

  “It should be safe for us to head up to the Revenge.” Kean tossed a few capsules over to Arus before turning to Lettie. He took the mini communicator from his ear and gently put it back into her ear. His fingers lingered a little too long on her skin. “And if you ever get bored on the Defiant, there’s always a spot for you in my bed.”

  Vore snarled and lunged at him, despite his injury. Kean danced away with a throaty laugh and left with Ulrek and their transport.

  Mia gave her a quizzical look. “What am I missing?”

  “Kean covered the communicator and asked me to go home with him to Vosthea.” Lettie grabbed onto Vore’s good arm and forced him to sit. “As I said before, Vore, I told him no. I belong to you.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Vore flexed his fingers. They didn’t quite feel like his own, but they were working. It was hard work growing new nerves, even with the help of the med bed, and he was famished. He checked the time remaining on the console as his stomach growled.

  “Wow, Vore. I heard that from here!” Lettie laughed.

  Sidas, the ship’s medic, was still off on leave, and Lettie sat at his chair. Her legs didn’t reach the ground, and she kicked it most endearingly.

  “I’m getting hungry too. You stay put and I’ll grab you some food.” She hopped off the too-big chair and left his side for the first time since their return to the Defiant. He had been stuck in the med bed for the past two cycles. Sending him a big smile, she skipped out of the medical bay, searching for their next meal.

  Lettie had been worried about his woun
d, despite reassurance that he would heal with the med bed. It wasn’t until the wound closed up and sensation returned to his hand that she had relaxed. Now, with his ability to move recovered, she looked positively giddy. Vore wondered if her worry for him meant she loved him.

  As a human, she would never form a mating bond with him. But she could love him, and Vore wanted that. He wanted her love. Would she want to make offspring together? He had never thought it was an option, but now that Kean had put the idea in his head, Vore couldn’t shake it.

  Lettie returned with a tray of food.

  “Arus said you would need lots of protein while healing, so I brought you several kinds. I’m not sure what you prefer.” Lettie shuffled her feet. “I realized I don’t know much about your preferences.”

  “We have our whole lives to learn about each other.”

  Vore sat up to take the tray from her, but she pushed him back down.

  “Nuh-uh, you lie your ass back down! Cal said the bed works best if you are lying in it.” She put one hand on her cocked hip. “I’ll feed you.”

  Vore leaned back, put his arms up, and pillowed his head on his hands as she cut his food into bite-sized pieces and fed him. “I’m not going to complain if my mate feeds me. Maybe we can play owner and slave again and you can rub my feet too.”

  Instead of getting angry, she looked shyly at him. “Is it strange that I enjoyed playing the role of your slave?”

  “No, little Lettie. Not strange at all. You never need to be shy or worry about judgment from me. I am your mate. I will explore anything you want.”

  “So I guess it’s okay to confess to you that I really liked having an audience. I didn’t know I would enjoy it as much as I did.”

  “That I already know, little Lettie. You were spectacular. We can do that again. We won’t be the only ones on the ship who enjoy being watched. I am too possessive of you now to consider it for a while, but some Tallean couples spend time with another couple to keep things exciting.”