CAPTURED: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys(39)

So good in fact, she delayed their departure to show him how much she liked his mercenary look.



Tren wanted to bang his head off a wall, maybe punch a few things, and  he definitely wanted to kill something. A smart male would have  annihilated the female strutting along beside him, but dammit, he  admired her spirit, worshiped her body, and grudgingly liked her. Even  stranger, he got a feeling she liked him back. Sure, she didn't know  everything about him, such as his reputation as the universe's most  renown mercenary. However, he got the feeling it wouldn't matter one  whit to her. She acted like a queen-demanding and imperious. Strangely,  he enjoyed it. Enjoyed her, both in and out of bed. Not that he'd admit  it out loud. She'd use that information against me for sure, he thought  with a grin.

He still hadn't changed his mind about selling her; however, he'd  decided to keep her for a longer portion of his voyage, his twisted  logic dictating he'd get a better price for her nearer his home world.  He also selfishly intended to enjoy as much of her naked body as he  could until that time. It surprised him that he hadn't tired of her yet;  actually, he still fought the urge to mark her each time she exposed  her neck. Obviously, he'd caught some kind of space illness because he  even looked forward to her harangues and attempts to hurt him, her  feisty nature calling to something in him. Not that he let her get away  with her bouts of violence and vocal displeasure. Of course his method  of punishment-extreme screaming pleasure-might have had a lot to do with  the fact she didn't let up in her attempts to drive him insane.         

     



 

Crazy human. My human. The possessive thought almost stopped his heart,  and he must have uttered something because she peered back at him to  ask, "You alright?"

Grunting in reply, he blamed his strange thought on the fact he was  taking his merchandise for a walk and would probably need to protect it.  I should add liar to my list of skills.

Tren kept one hand on his holster as they exited the docking tunnel into  the main part of the way station; a jumbled mess of buildings meshed  together and covered by a dome on an asteroid circling a weak star. It  was the only space station in this section of the galaxy, and one he  tended to avoid because of its surcharges and ratty denizens. Given  they'd sustained some minor damage during their hyperspeed flight and he  still had a rear thruster in need of repair, it made sense to take  advantage of the services offered here, even if the prices ranged into  the obscene.

Although, not as obscene as the leer thrown Megan's way by the one eyed  Kharnqiop who added to his disrespect by drooling. Tren didn't like it  one bit. Stepping behind Megan, Tren bared his pointed teeth in a snarl  that promised violence and extreme pain. The creature clamped its mouth  shut, dropped its dozen eyes and shuffled off, probably to spread the  word he'd arrived.

Good. Teaching lessons to the hot heads who'd come crawling from the  corners of this cesspit would keep him entertained while he waited for  the repairs. Yet another reason he'd retired. Covert operations were  harder to manage when everyone knew your face and, in an attempt to gain  recognition, kept attacking-and dying. At least their feeble attempts  to take him out since retirement kept him in practice. Having Megan  along to protect would add an interesting element, though. I'll kill  anyone who touches her. For business, of course. Damaged goods wouldn't  fetch a nice price. He wondered how she'd feel about up close and  personal violence.

Probably cheer if she thought it would benefit her.

The thought made him smirk.

He let her lead the way, which amused him since she had no idea where to  go, but she faked it well with her head held high, stalking like she  owned the place. Spilling out into the main thoroughfare, crowded with  beings from a multitude of races, she finally halted. He moved to stand  beside her, his presence claiming her without words as his property.

He let her look around with wide eyes before he nudged her in the  direction they needed to go. "Stop gawking. You look like fresh meat."

"Well, excuse me for suffering some culture shock. It's one thing to  meet you, you kind of look human. But this," she inclined her head.  "That's freaking wild."

Tren tried to view it for a moment from her perspective, the scene  before them one he'd seen a hundred times before. Beings of all shapes,  sizes, colors and in possession of appendages in the single to double  digits roamed the marketplace. Normal stuff. He shrugged. "You'll get  used to it. Now come on. We need to get the work order in before the  first ones arrive."

"First what?"

Tren didn't bother answering, he just took off at a brisk walk, and  after a moment's hesitation she followed. But, of course, she didn't  walk behind him in a position of subservience. She placed herself on his  left and with her lips tight, pretended an aloofness he could tell by  her tight body she didn't feel. Frukx, but he admired her spirit.

Locating the grungy office of the service station, he sauntered in and  slammed his fist down on the counter. A familiar face came scurrying in  from the back. Tren sneered as the creature blanched. He relayed his  instructions on repair to the three armed mechanic who bobbed his head  in deference. Tren made sure to keep one eye on Megan who prowled around  with way too much curiosity in her eyes. She also looked much too  enticing in his oversized shirt, the sway of her breasts entirely too  visible.

Tren growled and the mechanic stepped back, swallowing hard with all  five of his mouths. He fixed his gaze on the creature. "I expect it done  within one astral unit."

"But the other clients-"

Tren leaned forward and grabbed the mechanic by the neck. "Do you need  to lose another arm?" Annoyed at the exorbitant rates they'd charged him  last time, and the scratch they'd put on his hull, Tren had displayed  his displeasure in a way that left a permanent impression.

Frantic head bobbing answered him and Tren released the alien, a sudden  prickling on the back of his nape making him whirl. Megan no longer  lurked the shop, having stepped out into the thoroughfare.

And of course, she'd found trouble.





Chapter Eight

"Unhand me right now," Megan demanded, hiding her fear behind false  bravado. Not an easy task considering the slimy grasp of the blue  octopus holding her wrist.

A gurgle she suspected passed as a chuckle made her grimace. "That was  totally gross. And I said let me go." When the alien creature ignored  her and started tugging, her sandaled feet sliding, she got mad.

"You must be a male under all that disgusting goo." She pulled out a  chopstick saved from one of their dinners. After seeing Tren's own  preparations, she'd tucked it into her pants in case of an emergency.  This certainly counted. She jabbed the oversized needle into the  tentacle holding her. The icky alien squealed as it released her. Megan  took a step back and bared her teeth in a grimace as she waved her  makeshift rapier at it.

Its eyes, all half dozen of them, fixated on something behind her. It  shrieked again, even louder, as a big, familiar body rushed past her.  Tren picked up the extraterrestrial as if it weighed no more than a  feather and threw it against a corrugated wall. It hadn't even begun  sliding down, leaving a slimy trail, when Tren pulled out a pistol and  fired.

A great big hole appeared in the middle of the creature while Megan  watched with her jaw dropped low enough to hit her toes. Given she could  have stuck her hand through the octopus thingy without touching its  insides, she presumed it was dead.

Tren holstered his gun and turned to face her. The dangerous glitter in  his eyes and the tenseness of his face sent a jolt of pure desire  through her. Oh my god, I think that was the single most, hottest thing  any man has ever done for me. She ignored the fact she'd just about  saved herself before he'd arrived. She admired the way he took charge  and protected her.

"You are uninjured?" he asked, his clear blue eyes checking her up and down.

"Slimed, but fine. You know, I'd just about taken care of him," she announced as she held up her chopstick.

A smile tugged his lips. "Yes, you did. I just made an example of him to warn others away. You are not upset I killed it?"

She shrugged. "I might have felt different if it were a human you just shot a cannon through, but I never did care for seafood."

He snorted, tried to stop it, but couldn't. He laughed aloud, a mirthful  sound that proved contagious and she joined him. She vaguely noticed  that some of the alien folks walking by stopped to gape at them, but she  paid them no mind. Tren owned the most awesome laugh and she got the  impression he didn't use it often. It pleased her to know she'd caused  it even if unintentionally.

"Stow your vicious weapon, my feisty barbarian. We wouldn't want to  frighten the shop owners into closing before we can purchase some  items."

Megan tucked the chopstick into her waistband before sauntering off.  "Shopping. Cool. Think we can find some more shoes? I'd love to find  some steel-toed combat boots in my size. These sandals suck for kicking  balls with."