Alien's Challenge: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Outlaw Planet Mates) Read online

  Faris sucked in a breath. That was horrifying. Eyes should not move like that. It was unnatural.

  Aware that they were being scrutinized, he headed to the back, pulling Alice along by the hand.

  “Kamron!” he shouted, knocking on the locked door.

  The door opened a crack. A muddy green eye with a black vertical slit peered through.

  “Just the male I wanted to see! Those new converter kits came in,” Kamron said.

  The male flung the door open. He wiped his hands on a cloth and stuffed it into a pocket. Boxes and open crates cluttered the floor. If there was an order to the chaotic storeroom, Faris could not find it.

  “By new, you mean used and falling apart,” Faris said.

  “They still have life in them.” The male waved Faris over to a crate in the corner and removed the lid. The converter kits inside were battered from use, but the worst of the engine grime had been cleaned.

  Rotza. He needed those parts for his ship. Even if they only worked once, it’d be enough to get off the planet to a station with a scrap yard that hadn’t been picked clean.

  “How much?” Faris asked.

  Kamron named a price that made Faris laugh.

  “Pass, but good luck finding another fool willing to pay.”

  “I found the fool. I know you need them,” Kamron said.

  “I want them but I am patient.” Faris’ quills flexed up and down as he spoke. He’d been repairing the ship for years. Parts were difficult to come by, especially parts that worked. “Those would do damage. I’m better off waiting.”

  Kamron huffed, and his neck frills fluttered in irritation. “You have no funds because you purchased a human. It is all right. I understand why you would pass on quality goods.”

  Alice said something sharp.

  “Defective chip,” Kamron said. He went to a shelving unit and rummaged through a box. “I got you. I’ll include a new chip for the cost of the converter kits.”

  “I am not purchasing your defective converters,” Faris replied, keeping his voice even. Betraying his interest in the items would have a detrimental effect on negotiations. “We require a chip. Nothing else.”

  “Both converter kits, plus the chip.”

  “No.”

  “I’m allowed to make a profit. You’re taking food out of my hatchling’s mouths.”

  “You do not have hatchlings,” Faris retorted. “Please, continue to gouge me on the price. I’m sure you have plenty of customers looking for this particular piece of equipment.” He glanced at the empty door. “I believe they are forming a line now.”

  “Fine, both converter kits for the price of one,” Kamron grumbled.

  “Including the chip.”

  “Including the chip.” Kamron’s quills went flat against his head. Despite the male’s indignation, it was a good price.

  Within minutes, Alice was sitting on a stool as Kamron replaced the defective chip.

  “Oww…what the hell?” Alice complained, rubbing the tender spot behind her ear.

  “It is not a pleasant sensation,” Faris said.

  “Expect a headache and audio distortion for a few hours,” Kamron said, shoving the chip implanter back onto the shelf.

  “You can understand me. Finally!” She jumped to her feet, her round eyes staring at him like she could put him under compulsion. “What the fuck is your name, Big?”

  Chapter 4

  Alice

  “Big?”

  Alice cringed. Yeah, it was a terrible name. “I’ve been stressed. My creativity is a little lacking.”

  “I have been called worse,” he said. “My name is Faris.”

  “Owenfaris, fourth child of the Eternal House of—” the one called Kamron explained.

  “Faris, only Faris now,” he said, speaking over Kamron.

  “Faris,” she repeated. It was a good name. She smiled at him. His feathery quills flexed up. “I’m Alice Serrano.”

  “Alice of many syllables. A prestigious name.”

  “Serrano is the family name,” she explained. “Well, thank you.” She dug her hands into the coat pockets—his coat pockets. “For everything, really. Fixing this and getting me away from Randevere—”

  “Just Rand,” Faris said. “He does not deserve the honor of three syllables.”

  “Dishonest male,” Kamron spat. Alice had a feeling that if Kamron considered someone dishonest, they had to be the worst kind of crook. “You took the female from Rand? I approve.” Kamron directed this statement to Faris.

  “I have so many questions,” Alice said. Like where the hell was she, what the fuck was going on, and what the hell? Mainly that one.

  “We must journey to my nest. I will answer your questions then,” Faris said.

  Kamron tapped the window. Outside was a curtain of swiftly falling white flakes. “Good luck getting anywhere tonight. The ferry doesn’t run in a snowstorm like this.”

  “It is fine,” Faris said. He pressed his thumb to a device that Kamron handed him.

  “Pleasure doing business with ya. I’d offer you a room for the night, but too many people saw you walk in with a human. I don’t need that kind of trouble.”

  Frankly, Alice didn’t want to know what sort of rooms Kamron offered. Filthy, judging by the state of the place. The floors were sticky from various…fluids: beer, sweat, blood, and anything that might leak out of a person. Years’ worth of dirt and grime accumulated on every surface. It was clear that no one had ever taken a mop or even a damp cloth to the place.

  Not that this place was worse than the rest of the town. The entire town seemed to be a collection of shipping containers repurposed for housing and welded together in a heap that threatened to topple over.

  Still, Kamron mentioned trouble for humans, and she needed to know more. “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “He means that others will challenge me for you,” Faris said.

  “Because I’m your property?” Just saying the words made her angry. Since the moment she woke up, it was a nonstop parade of sexist crap, and she still didn’t have any pants. “This place is the worst.”

  “You are not my property, but a foolish male will try his luck to take you. I will protect you.” He growled as he spoke.

  Hot. Yeah, definitely hot.

  “Hold my hand as we leave,” he ordered.

  Hot and bossy. Amazingly, that worked for her.

  Conversation fell silent as they entered the main room. Too late to avoid attention, Alice pulled up the hood on her coat.

  As predicted, some dirtbag grabbed Alice.

  “Pretty human!” Two arms locked around her, and another stroked her hair like a dog. Four arms. The man had four arms, all of which were very busy holding her against him.

  “Let me go!” Alice twisted and turned, struggling to grab the knife. The belt of the coat came undone with her efforts. She now had multiple hands on her and was flashing her business to the crowd. This was a nightmare. “I swear, I will kick you in your alien nuts.”

  “Let the female go,” Faris said.

  “No, I don’t think I will.” The man’s breath stank like booze. Cheap booze. “How much for the female?”

  “She is not for sale,” Faris answered.

  What was wrong with this place?

  She adjusted her grip on the knife’s handle, bending her wrist to poke the blade against Mr. Grabby Hands’ stomach. The blade pushed in just far enough to get his attention.

  “Let me go or I'll stick this in you,” she said.

  Please let me go. I really don’t want blood all over me.

  When he failed to respond quickly enough to her satisfaction, she applied more pressure.

  He laughed. The four-armed fucker laughed.

  “You are not the sort to kill a male,” Mr. Grabby Hands said.

  Faris stepped right into their personal space, pressing a barrel to the side of the man’s head.

  “She may not be, but I am,” he said, his voice col
der than the snowstorm outside. “Let the female go or I decorate the floor with your brains.”

  “I think we will play cards for the female.” The male did not release her.

  Seriously, what was wrong with this place?

  The quills went flat on Faris’ head. That couldn’t be good.

  “Close your eyes, Alice,” he said, voice now colder than the blizzard outside.

  She closed her eyes, there was a pop, something warm splattered her—don’t think about it, just don’t—and she fell to the floor.

  Chaos erupted. People jumped to their feet, chairs overturned, and punches were thrown.

  “Female, follow me,” Kamron instructed as he crawled under a table. Glass shattered on the floor next to her. Following Kamron might not be the smartest move but it had to be safer than sitting on the floor in the middle of a bar fight.

  She shuffled forward, joining him under a table.

  “Drink?” He jiggled a flask in her direction. When she declined, he took a long pull.

  People hit the ground hard and were slow to pick themselves back up. Cards and tokens littered the floor.

  She picked up a silver hexagon-shaped token. “Is this money?”

  “Only in this province. That will buy you a meal.”

  She shoved it into a pocket. Cash was cash. Even having a single coin made her feel more in control.

  The fight showed no signs of stopping. Faris stood at the center of the maelstrom, fending off several attackers with nothing more than his fists and well-placed kicks.

  Mr. Grabby Hands moaned on the floor, bleeding heavily from a head wound. He also seemed to be missing an ear.

  “He fights like an Imperial soldier,” Kamron said.

  “Who? Faris? Is he good?”

  Kamron snorted, the frills at the side of his neck fluttering. “When he is done destroying my property, tell your male that I will bill him.”

  “He didn’t start it. That creep grabbed me.” She didn’t understand the need she had to defend Faris, but he was the only decent person she’d encountered since going camping in the woods.

  “He brought a human female here. He started it.”

  “This place is the worst,” she muttered.

  Faris

  The haze of the fight took over. It was the fever, the chemical imbalance roaring through his body.

  Faris reveled in the simple pleasure of fist striking flesh, feeling bone give way from the force of his blow. He was not a good male and never pretended to be. He only hoped that he had not frightened Alice. Currently, she was hiding under a table, cradling the blade he gave her to her chest.

  That pleased him more than it should.

  Someone capitalized on his distraction as he watched Alice and grabbed him by the quills. The shafts detached painfully, no doubt taking a good chunk of skin with them.

  “You egg kicker,” he growled. The quills would fall out when he molted, but now the skin under his scales would be raw.

  His tail whipped from side to side as he lost himself to the rhythm of the brawl. A blade punctured the coat, but he did not care. It was Rand’s, after all. Adrenaline numbed the sting of his scales being pierced. It did not matter. Faris would be the last male standing.

  He was the fourth child of the Eternal House of Nakkon. He was made to be sacrificed. The Imperial Militia shaped him, honed him into a weapon, and then his family turned that weapon against their allies.

  Sentenced for life on this prison planet, he had been without purpose. Now he had a female to protect, and no one here in this seedy establishment, this miserable town, or this wretched planet would harm her.

  Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Kamron took Alice to the back.

  No.

  Faris stalked after the male. If Kamron thought he could take Alice from him, he was gravely mistaken.

  “Are you in there? Your pupils have expanded, and your eyes are black,” Kamron said.

  Faris growled. Dilated pupils were another sign of the fever as hormones surged out of balance within his body. Throwing himself back into the fight would help to purge the chemicals but then he would be distracted from protecting Alice.

  He stretched out a hand, touching Alice’s cloud of brown hair. She needed him to be focused.

  “I’m fine,” she said. “Though a shower would be amazing. And pants. I mentioned pants, right?”

  “Shower. Rest. Garments,” Faris said, his voice thick and husky. He could do these things for her.

  “You got to leave but you can’t go through the front,” Kamron said, interrupting the ways Faris would provide for his mate.

  Faris growled.

  Kamron held up his hand in submission. “Whatever you’re going through, don’t do it here.” He kicked up the corner of a filthy area rug, revealing a trap door. “This tunnel will take you to the edge of town.”

  Faris opened the hatch. Blackness and icy cold filled the tunnel. He did not want to take his mate through a cold, dark tunnel but the noise from the brawl continued.

  This was the only exit.

  Chapter 5

  Alice

  They trudged through the tunnel. Fortunately, Faris could see in the dark or knew the way because he traversed the tunnel with confidence. She held onto the sleeve of his collar, trying her best not to stumble on the uneven surface.

  Eventually, the tunnel ended in what could charmingly be described as a storm drainage ditch.

  Better than a sewer.

  Faris helped Alice as she tried to scramble up the side. Snow made everything slick, and she was so tired.

  “Can we please sleep? Or sit for a minute?” she asked, panting. “I should have slept on the train.”

  “You do not want to sleep around those males,” Faris said.

  “Yeah, that’s why I stayed awake,” she said around a yawn. She had been running on adrenaline for a while now. The coming crash would be epic and hard.

  This part of the town had the same ramshackle, rusty shipping container vibe. Snow collected in deep drifts and softened harsh edges of the buildings. There was no noise except for the whine of a nearby generator. In the quiet of the snowstorm, it was almost charming.

  A cold wind pierced through the coat, going through all her layers.

  Eh, maybe not charming.

  “We must rest for the night,” Faris said.

  He took off in long strides, being damn near a giant. Alice trudged. So much trudging. Snow seeped in through the weird hole in the boot’s heel, soaking the wrapping. Frostbite seemed inevitable.

  Faris whipped around. Irritation radiated off of him. “You are too slow.”

  “I’m trying. The snow is deep, and my feet are wet.” She wasn’t a complainer, but she struggled to keep a whine from her voice.

  “I will carry you.”

  That was all the warning he gave before he scooped her up. Cradled against his chest, she watched his face as he navigated the slick street. The shadows hid any blossoming bruises, if he bruised. Of course he bruised. He bled. Living beings with circulatory systems bruised.

  “Your poor feathers. Did it hurt?”

  “They are quills, not feathers,” he said. Then, “It was not pleasant.”

  “Do you have bruises?”

  He answered slowly, as if reluctant to admit a weakness. “Under my scales. We are here.”

  They entered a building with a wooden sign depicting a stylized tower swinging over the door. The interior was clean and, most important, warm. Faris arranged a room, a meal, and a delivery of supplies in short order.

  Up a narrow flight of stairs, Faris unlocked a door to a no-nonsense room and deposited her on the bed.

  The only bed.

  Marvelous.

  The rest of the room conformed to the budget hotel standard: a tiny table with two chairs crammed in a corner, a nightstand, a lamp probably meant to create a cozy atmosphere but just seemed to fail against the drabness of the room. At least the room was cle
an, smelling of industrial-strength chemicals. She’d take bleach over dank and the aroma of old cigarettes.

  Alice shivered. Now that she was out of the cold, she couldn’t get warm.

  Faris loomed over her. The remaining quills flexed up and down on his head. It shouldn’t have been funny and giggling at the massive alien who was trying to help you was such a terrible idea, but she couldn’t stop the laughter.

  This had to be shock, right? She kept panic at bay for days, and now, exhausted, frozen, and with her feet wet, she was done. So done.

  “You will clean yourself and then you will sleep,” Faris ordered. He unwound the scarf and untied the belt of the coat.

  “No. I have questions and you will give me answers. One, where am I? Two, how did I get here? I mean, I have a vague idea, but I need you to confirm it. Three—”

  “No questions. Shower. Sleep,” he said, talking over her.

  Despite her utter exhaustion, she could not let that go. Talking over people like they weren’t even there? Rude.

  “Wow, you’d have answered my questions by now if you weren’t being such a bossy bitch,” she said.

  “The answers are complex, and you will have additional questions,” he retorted, irritation in his voice. “You could be clean and asleep by now, but you insist on arguing.”

  “I do love a good argument.” This prompted another fit of giggles, for no good reason. “Sorry. I’m so tired, I’m slap -happy.”

  “No one will slap anyone,” he said, his voice firm.

  “Good to know.” She pulled herself to her feet, aching in every joint. “Where’s the bathroom? I hope they have hot water.” Then, when she thought about it, “I hope I can figure out the bathroom. I mean this looks like a motel room, so some things must be universal.”

  “Undress. I will assist,” he said.

  “What? No.” Absolutely not. She realized he saw her when she wore nothing more than a decorative handkerchief, but she wasn’t interested in him assisting her in the shower.

  The bathroom was a simple tiled room with a drain in the center, a sink along one wall, a wooden bench along the far wall, a complicated silver hose and showerhead hanging on a hook, a narrow shelf built into the tile wall, and a trench in the corner.