Alien Alphas: Twenty-Three Naughty Sci-Fi Romance Novellas

by Grace Goodwin

  The man was speaking now, soft. His partner responding in kind, though they were both too far away to rouse her. So close... Blissful nothingness only a few seconds away...

  He adjusted her head, freeing her from the clamp keeping her from thrashing, then pressed one of his filthy, sticky fingers to the center of her new voice box.

  All at once, her every nerve seized, sending lightning through her brain. Making her limbs writhe as fire kissed her brain stem. Changing something vital and unseen deep within her in less time than it took for her to take a single breath.

  Panting, she came back to herself. Muscles twitching. Skin warm, in spite of the frigid air.

  “They make such pretty sounds, don’t they?” A hand traveled down her flank. Caressing. “If this one survives, I think I shall like to have a whole collection of them, dearest.”

  “Mhm,” a man hummed, and a moment later, a warm cloth brushed over her collarbones and throat. “They breed quickly enough. This mammalian species can have litters with as many as,” he paused, as if searching for the information, “twelve young. Though that’s quite rare, according to the directory. Far more likely to have a single pup.”

  “Yes, well, we can always adjust her birth rate, can’t we?” A cluck, and those hands continued petting. Sticky fingers wandering. “Look at all this lovely, stretchy skin! She could carry a hundred, if we wanted her to. Just keep her suspended in fluid until the pups are full-term...” A finger traced her vulva, making her flinch. “Oh! She’s coming around! Hurry up. I want to see what color her eyes are. I’ve heard this species can have a whole range.”

  “She’s not your pet, Filvtra. You mustn’t allow yourself to become attached,” he said, but a moment later, applied the cloth to eyes sealed shut, dissolving the solution and returning sight. “Come now, little human. Wakey, wakey.”

  In spite of the urge to succumb to the day’s trauma, his words landed with enough force to keep her conscious. Human. She was human. The word rang with truth, driving her to do as her tormentor commanded with a morbid sort of curiosity; the little human opened her eyes.

  And screamed.

  Chapter Two

  “Make it stop! It’s horrible!”

  A cold, sticky hand slapped over her lips and nose, the massive thing threatening to cut off her access to oxygen and silencing her panicked screams, both.

  “My apologies, darling,” came the deep masculine rumble of the monster who’d done... whatever he’d done to her throat. Speaking English—even though she knew he wasn’t. “This species tends to be very... vocal.”

  Human. She was human, and in place of the name she couldn’t remember, the distinction would have to do. It was a necessary distinction, given the flat, reptilian faces hovering above her. Blinking, she clutched at the shreds of rational thought. They were huge, hulking beasts, easily outweighing her by hundreds of pounds. The one on the left—the bulkier one keeping her from screaming—was marked with vibrant, iridescent splashes of color, while his mate was covered in muted green scales.

  Two eyes, yes, though they were lid-less. Or rather, their lids were... internal, for a moment later they blinked in tandem, a clear membrane sliding over their eyeballs with a wet schliiick. Four nostrils apiece, the second pair stacked atop the first, though they were narrow, vertical slits opening and closing with each breath.

  Gills. The frilly green tissue visible with every exhale looked like gills.

  Humans didn’t have gills.

  Forcing herself to relax, to breathe around sticky fingers, she counted the beats of her pulse. Don’t fight a battle that can’t be won. Behave. Be silent. Have patience. She didn’t bite the tacky palm covering her lips, for she couldn’t chew through his fingers when he was mucking about in her larynx. What purpose, aside from pissing him off, would it serve now?

  “Dearest, look! Look at the color of her skin. Fascinating,” the green, possibly female one said, stroking a cheek flushed warm with stress and emotion. “She’s changing color! I didn’t realize these mammalians had cells with chromatophores.”

  “They don’t,” the male said, and pressed close, gazing into human eyes, unblinking. Inspecting her, his head tilted to the side. “Perhaps it’s a sign of distress.”

  The human nodded, as much as she was able.

  With a shrug, the male released her lips, strolling out of sight while she gasped for breath. Filling her lungs to their capacity.

  “Ooo, look!” the female said, assuming the place of her dearest and pressing close enough to fill the human’s vision. “Her eyes are green! Do you see? Green! Like blood, but... glittery. Can I touch?”

  “No. You’ll pop it with your claws.”

  The female whined, letting three hooked talons catch the light, grinning at the sharp inhale her unspoken threat provoked. “I can be gentle.”

  “Only when it suits you. Or if it’s time to deal with the hatchlings.” The male chuffed. “And then, only when it suits you.”

  Unable to do much else, the human girl blinked, tears free to spill over her lashes as she tried to process... everything.

  “I think... I think she’s leaking,” the female continued, pressing closer still. “Did you damage her?” Head tilted to the side, the female snapped two of her three eight-inch fingers in front of human eyes.

  “I was gentle,” the colorful one replied. Flippant. “And the implant appears to be working properly. All the readings are coming back positive. It’s this fragile bloody species,” he grumbled, baring row upon row of conical, jagged teeth. “They can’t handle the ‘trauma.’ Or... that’s what they keep writing on the body disposal forms, anyway.” He chuffed, returning, prodding his patient’s sternum with one of his sticky digits. “‘Deceased due to trauma,’ if you can believe it. Trauma! As if I’ve ever caused undue trauma to any species I’ve come across.” Blowing four streams of hot air over her face, the male snorted, internal lids schlicking closed with a wet pop. “How about you, little human? Have I traumatized you?”

  Eyes fixed on the colorful male’s lidless gaze, she shook her head, sending a fresh wave of tears spilling over her cheeks.

  “Exactly. My hand is never heavy.” Laughter rumbled through his chest and he turned away, humming to himself.

  “Mmm. Well, if you have damaged her, at least—” all four nostrils flared, gills flushing a muddy greenish purple as the female inhaled, “—she smells edible.”

  The girl flinched as much as she was able, pulling at her bonds. Sucking a rattling breath through her teeth. Eyes bulging from their sockets as the female opened a wide, toothy maw to reveal a long gray tongue. Like a gooey, parasitic worm had eaten her original tongue and had taken up residence in the damp, toothy cavern.

  Breath reeking of rotted meat, the female laved the soft pink human cheek, dragging forth a fresh wave of tears. “Bleh. Salt. She tastes of... salt. How is it that so weak a species can excrete so corrosive a chemical?”

  “Filvtra!” Aiming a backhand to the female’s cheek, the colorful one snarled. “Don’t sample the merchandise. I swear, you’re only here to find your next meal. Don’t give a damn how important this is to me. My work.”

  Unperturbed by the strike and the petulant whining, both, Filvtra grinned her toothy grin. “She should be able to speak Galactic Standard now. Do it. Speak!” Flicking a nipple, the female drew a tiny, hoarse squeak from a battered throat. “Speak!”

  “I—” Wetting her lips, the girl forcing a bone-dry swallow around the foreign object lodged in her throat. “I need w-water. Please.” Had her voice always sounded like that, or was that the sound of her parasite speaking for her? “Please?”

  “See? Not damaged. Good. That’s good.” The male hummed, the skin around his temples flashing a vibrant, electric blue as he shuffled away, muttering under his breath.

  “Where are you sending her?” the female asked, crouching over the human’s chest.

  “Eh? Oh, Lord Naja has decided to breed his pets. Those nasty fighte
rs he’s so fond of.”

  “The Felidae? Really? But, why?”

  “Wants a new subspecies, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to give him results any time soon. Already gone through the entire list of bipedal mammalians recorded in the directory.” He returned to the gurney carrying a massive syringe filled with a thick orange fluid. “None of the embryos were viable, if it even got to that stage. Not a single one. Entire stocks were disposed of. The Felidae are too demanding on their female hosts, and the males haven’t yet been strong enough to trigger a mating fever in the Felidae females.” He flicked the glass vial, displacing any tiny bubbles.

  “What—what is that?” the girl breathed, eyes following the syringe. Squirming in her bonds.

  “The Felidae are an incredibly hardy species. It’s proving all but impossible to find something that can match their... durability long enough to produce viable offspring.” Slapping the veins at the crook of her elbow until they stood out against her skin, the male tsked, lining the needle up.

  “Wait. Wait! What are you giving me—”

  “We picked this one up on a shitty, backwater little planet on the outskirts of the galaxy. Last mammalian species listed in the directory,” he continued, piercing the delicate skin of her inner arm.

  “Nooo,” she moaned, trying in vain to thrash free of her bonds. “Please, please—you can’t—I don’t know what it is—I could be allergic—”

  “When did you collect her?” the female asked, toying with human breasts and nipples. “I don’t remember that.”

  For a moment, the male paused, thumb on the plunger. Thinking. “I believe you were still on a mission in the Cora 12 system.”

  “Mmm,” the female purred, humming deep in her reptilian chest. “Now that was a fun rebellion. Good eating, too.”

  “Ohmygod!” the girl squealed, letting the bonds cut into her wrists. “Don’t! You can’t! What is that? What are you giving me? Please—you can’t—”

  He depressed the plunger, dumping the orange fluid into delicate veins, and said, “If this species isn’t compatible, I’m afraid Lord Naja will order the whole project to be scrapped.” He sighed, withdrawing the syringe and turning back to his workstation. “I’ve invested many, many hours into his pets. It’d be a shame to see them all terminated.”

  Heat flashed through her veins, dragging a tortured groan from soft lips. “Nooo... what-what did you... what did you give me?”

  But of course, she got no reply. Hadn’t really expected one.

  With her mate’s attention elsewhere, Filvtra abandoned her nipples and set wormy tongue to wriggle between the girl’s spread legs. Humming. “Tastes... strange. Hush,” the female whispered, shushing the girl’s whimper. “Don’t fret. You’re still quite edible. Shh... just have to add some heat. Maybe a little seasoning.”

  “I’m poisonous,” the girl gasped, fighting against the rise of an unnatural, unwanted ache.

  Filvtra grinned, laving between the girl’s legs—until her mate snarled at her back, splashes of red bursting to life on his face and neck. “Damn it all to hell and back, woman. I told you not to sample the product. This one is off limits.”

  “Oh, come on, Kallp. You can always get another—”

  “No,” he snapped, shoving Filvtra back enough that he could peer into human eyes. “She’s the last of the breeding stock we took from the Enta 66 system, and we’re at least thirty cycles away from there now.” Kallp bared his teeth, setting a sticky finger against the fluttering, elevated pulse at her throat, and said, “Almost all of the others we collected had to be terminated when I induced a Felidae heat cycle. Overworked their fragile systems.” Snapping his teeth next to his mate’s green cheek, he pushed Filvtra back and set his palm against the girl’s belly button. Pressing until she moaned, cheeks flushing bright red once more, though this time, it was due to the orange toxin pumping through her blood.

  “Fiiine,” Filvtra said, bracing scaly green elbows next to her pinned right arm, as of yet, unable to tear lidless eyes away from the trapped mammal. “But you’re no fun anymore. Just so you know. Fatherhood has made you... protective. As I feared.”

  Flexing against her bonds, she groaned. “What...” An aching heat pulsed through her every cell. “What did you do to me?”

  “My calculations must be correct this time,” the male murmured, ignoring her—ignoring them both. Brow furrowed as he stepped around the gurney, he came to a stop between spread thighs. “The last one survived through the first stage of Felidae heat, only perishing because of a default in its heart. Stupid error on my part, I’ll admit,” he said, and gently prodded her labia. Parting the delicate folds. “Didn’t even think to check it. But I put this one in the tank the moment her predecessor’s heart burst. Just in case.”

  “Got rid of her defects, did you, dearest?” Filvtra purred, occupying herself with the human’s breasts once more. Pinching and kneading.

  “Stop... please...” The girl gasped, hips bucking as two long fingers slid into her, probing. And damn it all if her eyes didn’t roll back into her skull with the need for... more. Hips working in earnest now. The heat had spread. Sunk lower.

  “I have every faith in my grumpy, no-fun mate,” Filvtra said, catching a nipple between two of her three fingers. Letting her claws scrape at the rosy tip. “But tell me. When does the milk come out of these?”

  Kallp laughed, withdrawing his long fingers in spite of her tiny whine of protest. “They’re for nurturing her young, dearest. They don’t activate until the pup is born. Unless, of course, she’s been stimulated with the correct chemicals,” he added, joining his mate as the human bucked and writhed, a pool of slick arousal gathering in slow drips beneath her bottom.

  “Someone... please help me... please...” Panting now, she could scarcely focus on the words being spoken, such was the need coursing through her. She sucked at the air, tasting. Searching, though for what she didn’t know. Couldn’t name.

  “Oooh, you must! Give her the milk drugs. I want to taste—”

  “No.” A deep thrumming purr rattled through his chest, a swirl of color pulsing along white slashes at his throat. “I’ll not take the risk. Especially because this one is taking the heat well. Exactly as she should. Here,” he said, pressing his shiny fingers past Filvtra’s terrifying teeth to stroke her wormy tongue. “Sate yourself with a sample of her flavor. If she can bring an embryo to term, I’m sure we’ll be heading back to the shithole she came from. Have to replenish the breeding stock. You can help yourself to as many as you like. Keep a whole collection of them, if you wish. Yours to do with as you please.”

  The female hummed, lids schlicking closed, even as she continued to massage the human’s tits. “Mmm. Such a romantic.”

  “Earth,” the human rasped, remembering another tiny scrap, surprising her captors with the venom exploding from her new voice box. “It’s called Earth. And you won’t be returning there. I won’t allow it.”

  “Ah, it appears this one has some fight after all,” Filvtra said, pinching a nipple so hard the girl’s back bowed off the gurney, at once pressing into the torment and begging for it to end. The patriotic fury forgotten as the heat surged anew. “You’ll need it if you intend to survive a mating with a Felidae. Here’s to the success of your project, husband.”

  The male grinned, toothy and sinister. “Indeed.”

  Chapter Three

  “Filvtra, dearest,” Kallp hummed. “Summon an escort. I want this one delivered before the second phase truly sets in.”

  With a happy chirp, the female moved to do as she was bid, disappearing from view. Leaving reddened breasts aching and pointed in her absence.

  A warbling little whine left the girl’s throat, for the instant it was gone, she... missed it. Missed the attention lathered upon her nipples. Needed more. “What—what’s happening to me?” she asked, hips undulating. Straining against her bonds. Utterly shameless.

  With Filvtra gone, Kallp deigned to an
swer. “Felidae heat.” He reached for her hand, releasing first her right, then left wrist.

  “H-How? I’m not—I’m not... I don’t even know what a Felidae is—” Her abdomen seized, bowing her spine as a wave of cramps rippled through her. Sweat beaded across her brow, prickling in the brisk air, and with her hands free, she reached for the throbbing ache between her legs.

  Mindless.

  Swatting at wandering fingers, Kallp’s teeth snapped shut beside her cheek. “Stop that.”

  The gentle blow landed with enough force to break blood vessels high on her wrist, jarring her fragmented mind back to the matter at hand. “Hor-Hormones. You—you gave me Felidae hormones. Didn’t you? That’s why—” A broken moan tore through her as another wave of heat fluttered in the cradle of her hips. Clenching... grasping at emptiness.

  “You’re in the early stages of a heat cycle. Masturbating is barbaric and won’t offer any relief,” Kallp said, releasing the cuffs binding her ankles. “Only a successful mating with a Felidae male can end it, if you can trigger his mating response. Besides,” he continued, pulling a cart laden with silver tools to his hip, “your species has a tendency toward post-coital fatigue.” He yanked her cold and blotchy legs over the edge of the gurney with a shrug. “If you have any hope of surviving a mating with a Felidae, you’ll need all your strength.”

  “No masturbating,” she rasped, gripping the edge of the gurney, head spinning. Disoriented. “Got it. Say,” she breathed, watching him tinker, “you don’t happen to know my name, do you?”

  “Memory problems are typical for your species, given the circumstances.” He shrugged, thrumming deep in his chest. “Pick a new one.” Still humming that strange tune, Kallp plucked a jar off the cart. A cart laden with various tools of surgery, some she was familiar with, others she couldn’t have seen even in her darkest nightmares.

  Most prominent among them, however, a collection of scalpels.