Alien Heart

The T’An Chronicles: Kiele – Book 1

Lily Marie

Copyright, 2015

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except for use in any review. This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, locales, and events are either pure invention or used fictitiously, and all incidents come from the author’s imagination alone.

Cover Design by ResplendentMedia.com.

Sign up for Lily’s new release list here:

http://lilymariewrites.wix.com/books#!new-release-sign-up/ckbv

Loving this alien could cost her everything…

Anji Pearce is just days away from freedom – her work bond paid off, and her life ahead of her. Until a gorgeous, sexy alien boards her ship and turns her carefully planned life upside down.

Kiele Suun wants only one thing from the human captain – repayment. When he runs across the feisty, beautiful human woman, her surprising courage intrigues him, enough that he takes her remaining work bond as payment.

Anji’s attraction to the powerful but kind alien shocks her. That he returns it leaves her more aroused than she’s ever felt with a human man.

But a dark secret and a warring faction puts Kiele’s ship in danger, forcing him to choose between his crew and his family. His choice leads them into a trap neither one of them may survive.

“Grease monkey!”

Anji Pearce flinched at the nickname, then looked down at herself and sighed. Grease stained her shirt, the front of her work trousers, and probably her ass, since she’d been sitting next to the ancient, leaking engine for over an hour.

She leaned out of the crawlspace. “What is it, Tom?”

“They’re antsy up on the bridge, wanna know when the engine’ll be ready.”

Of course they were. “I’m working with duct tape and a paper clip here.”

Tom stared at her like she was speaking an alien language. Maybe to him she was. “So—how long?”

“Tell them ten minutes. But don’t fire up until I give the all clear!” She made sure he heard her before she ducked back inside. The last time she almost lost a hand when the overeager pilot decided his version of “wait until I tell you” was different from hers.

She settled in front of the open engine compartment, and rubbed at the ache over her right eye. Too much time in artificial atmospheres and not enough breathing real air always gave her headaches. All she had to do was get this rundown bucket of cheap bolts powered up again, and she’d be on planet in a few days, her work bond paid, and free of this reckless captain for good.

“Okay—cooperate with me.”

She’d been nursing the engine for months now, using spare parts in creative ways. Captain Johnson was too cheap or too stupid to keep the most important part of his ship in proper working order. When he bought her work bond—her final employer—she decided it was because of her knowledge of engines. Especially after she saw the condition of this one.

Wiping at the sweat dripping off her bangs, she studied the bolt in her hand, deciding whether it would last long enough for them to reach their destination. When another stream of sweat dumped itself in her eyes, she cursed under her breath and pushed the long bangs off her forehead and tucked them in her headband. There was no one here to see the scar.

She sighed and screwed the almost right bolt on the rod. Worst case, the rod would crack and leave them stranded in space. At least they were in a major travel lane, so the captain could use his questionable charms to beg help from a passing ship.

She tested the connection, then leaned out of the crawlspace.

“All clear!” When the engines started up, grinding unhappily, she slipped out and crouched next to the opening, ready to duck if the bolt didn’t hold and the rod decided to give up. Groans and shuddering screeches burst from the engine, but no actual parts. Anji let out a relieved sigh and pushed to her feet. “Just a little longer, and I’ll be done with…”

Her voice faded as she sensed the presence behind her.

Slowly, she eased the wrench out of her pocket, hoping it was one of the less muscled crew members, and spun, freezing when she met the jewel green eyes of an alien.

***

Kiele Suun studied
the small human woman. The fact that she didn’t scream surprised him, but her next action surprised him more—she ran straight at him, some weapon clutched in her hand. He stepped aside, watched her fly past him. With a string of words he recognized as curses, she swung around, choosing to back away rather than try a second attack. Kiele wanted to smile at the determination on her face. An interesting face, for a human. His gaze lingered on the scar tracing her hairline, above her right eyebrow. It looked old—too old for someone of her obvious young age.

Controlling his need to smile, he stalked toward her, reaching for her arm.

“Keep your webbed hands off me!” She jumped back and swung her arm. This time the weapon in her hand connected, bouncing off his wrist guard. “Damn it—”

She surprised Kiele again by kicking him.

The boots she wore caused sufficient pain for him to retaliate. He grabbed her arm and yanked her forward, so close he could see the gold flecks in her sea blue eyes, feel the heat of her body. Every inch wanted to wrap around that warmth, draw it in. It was the allure and the danger of humans. This particular human had his cock responding in a way he had never experienced.

“I will not harm you.”

“No—you’ll just carry me off for some experiment and I’ll never be seen again.” She stared up at him, and the rage in her eyes startled him, enough that he did not sense her next attack.

The toe of her boot drove into his left knee.

When her fingers dug into his lower back he let out a pained gasp and jerked her away. His gills were already sensitive so close to immersion, but her invasion shot an old, familiar ache through him. One he tried to forget.

He gave up the idea of using her as a bargaining chip with the ship’s captain and let her go. She stumbled backward, surprise in those sea blue eyes. They stared at him, the same rich, calming deep blue of his home planet’s ocean.

“Go,” he said, forcing the pain that radiated across his back out of his voice. “Warn your captain if you must. Either way, he will know soon enough that I am on board his ship, and why.”

It was time for the lying, cheating human to pay his debt.

***

Anji kept her
gaze on the tall alien as she backed toward the engine room door. He obviously meant what he said—he was letting her go.

She smacked into the metal doorframe, and her left hand searched for the keypad. Those jewel green eyes studied her, calm and strangely beautiful. But she could see him struggle to keep from showing the pain she knew she caused him when she went after his gills. Part of her deeply regretted such a low move, going after his weak point. The part that acted without thinking was terrified for her life.

He wore the fitted blue uniform that most of the military-style ship crews sported. It highlighted his incredibly broad shoulders, his muscled chest, the tapered waist and slim hips of someone who swam. A lot. A silver amulet hung from a chain around his neck, caught in the v neckline of his shirt.

“I won’t tell Captain Johnson. That’s between you.” A smile crossed his angular face. Anji had never seen one of the T’An up close before, and she understood now why some of the women she talked to sighed over them. High cheekbones and tilted eyes gave him an exotic look, but the thin line of iridescent blue scales disappearing into his dark hair reminded her that as much as he looked human, he definitely was not. “I’m leaving at the next stop.”

“You are not one of his crew?”

“Temporary.” Thank God. “He bought the last few weeks of my work bond.”

He frowned at her, like he understood. Why the hell was she telling him this? Why was she talking to him at all? He had obviously boarded the ship without permission—and she’d really like to know how he did that without setting off any of her proximity alarms. Unless they were on the fritz. Again.

It was also entirely possible the crew on the bridge was ignoring them, or didn’t even notice the ridiculously small blinking light that warned them a ship was approaching. She had never been on a ship where at least half the crew was drunk or asleep during their shift.

The alien’s deep, cool voice yanked her out of her thoughts.

“How is it that you have a bond on you?”

Anji swallowed, forced herself not to touch the scar under her—oh, God. The scar was in full view, on ugly display for a race that by all reports abhorred any kind of flaw.

Anger covered her grief. “None of your damn business.”

He shocked her by laughing. The sound was rich, as warm as his voice was cool, and it shot a wave of desire through her, so strong she had to lock her knees to keep them from buckling.

“You are correct. I will leave you to,” his jewel green eyes scanned every grease stained inch of her, and that desire flared. “Your repairs?” Interest sharpened his gaze. “You are repairing the ship’s engine?”

“That’s what I was bought for.” She lifted her chin, waiting for the disbelief she usually got when men learned of her skills. “I have a way with anything mechanical. I always have.”

“My compliments,
t’anling
.” He bowed his head. “It would take great skill to keep this wreck of a ship from falling to pieces.” He strode toward her, and she panicked, until she realized he was headed for the door next to her. His eyes met hers, humor in the green depths. “Meeting you has been a pleasure, in a journey filled with frustration.”

Before she could even think to open the door for him, he lifted his right hand and tapped a display on his wrist guard. The door slid open, squealing as the dented top edge scraped into the recess. That explained how he could have bypassed her alarms. Oh, she wanted to see that device. Badly. The T’An’s technology had fascinated her—okay, she had been obsessed since she saw the first palm laser on display at the last station she worked on.

She waited to move until the door closed behind him. Then she bolted to the console, and the battered comm. Her hand paused above the button that would open the comm to the bridge. Did she want to give the captain a heads up? What if he had time to set up an ambush, and the T’An walked right into it—

What the hell?

When did she decide to stand on the side of an alien?

When he showed more concern in five minutes than any human in the last five years.

Cursing under her breath, Anji yanked off her headband, her waist length braid slithering down her back as she ran for the door. Let the captain deal with his own mess—she wanted to watch him try and squirm his way out. No one crossed the T’An and got away with it.

***

Kiele used the
map on his wrist display to confirm his path to the bridge.

He had been on more than one human warship, though never one in such condition. Rust crept across every metal surface, debris littering some of the passageways, shoved into the corner of the raised thresholds. Kiele doubted the captain had the money owed him, not with his livelihood in such disrepair. But he had some ideas about repayment.

His already hard cock pressed against his trousers at the thought of what he meant to do. The small, defiant human woman intrigued him, and aroused him. His cock twitched in agreement.

He forced his mind to the immediate problem, putting aside the image of her, the feel of her neat figure in his arms, her warmth like a siren call. By the time he reached the door to the bridge his body was under control. He used the override to open the door and stalked on to the bridge.

Captain Johnson leapt out of his chair, bloodshot brown eyes wide.

“What the hell—how did you get on my ship!”

The angry roar did not fool Kiele. Under the bluster he could see the man’s terror.

“I have come for payment, Captain. As we agreed.”

“We were supposed to meet on Alia, in three days.”

Kiele crossed his arms. “Were you intending to rob another ship between now and then? I see no other way to acquire the money if you do not already have it.”

“I have—most of it.”

With a sigh, Kiele studied the disheveled captain. “Most is not full payment.”

Johnson wiped his hands on his trousers. “What can I tell you? My last job didn’t pay as well as it should have. How about we do the rest in product? I’m sure I can find something that’ll be worth what I still owe—ˮ

“Nothing on this ship would be of interest to me.” Heat shot through him, his cock standing at attention. Before he saw her, he knew she was here. Shifting, he uncrossed his arms, ready for what would happen after his next words. “But I will agree to a trade. I will erase our debt, in exchange for,” he pointed at the woman. “Her.”

***

Anji nearly choked
on the need to shout a denial. She backed away from the T’An—again—bumping into the wall next to door. The open door.

Before she could talk herself out of it she ran.

Her heart pounded when she heard heavy footsteps behind her. She expected the alien to chase her down—she just hoped she had time to reach her destination before he caught up with her.

She rebounded off the wall when she shot around the corner, and almost lost her balance. Recovering, she pushed herself to move faster. A quick glimpse when she turned that corner told her the alien was right behind her.

What she planned violated her bond, but she’d rather be damned and jailed than let herself be handed over to an alien like a consolation prize. The escape pod appeared at the end of the curving hall, and she sped up, her lungs screaming at her.

She reached out for the single button that would open the hatch, punching it the second her fingers made contact. The small hatch slid open. She darted inside—and screamed when a strong arm caught her around the waist and yanked her right back out.

“Let me go!” She kicked him, clawing at the arm around her waist. He simply tightened his grip, hauling her up against his chest. Anji stilled when she felt what was obviously an erection pressed against her ass. A huge erection. “Please,” she whispered.

“I will not harm you,
t’anling
. Nor will I touch you without your agreement.”