Alphas Unleashed (2 page)

“Not until I get what I want. I hope you like it rough, female. I am looking for some satisfaction,” the man goaded her as he stepped closer. “You and the other one have heated my blood. When I am done with you, I’ll see if she can help cool it.”

“I will kill you first,” Evetta snarled. “You will not touch either of us.”

The man just chuckled as he swung his fist toward her jaw. Evetta was prepared. She and her sister trained every available moment for just such a situation. They often tried to sneak up on each other and take the other unaware. It was necessary to be prepared for deceit and violence if they were to survive their mandatory required service in the Marastin Dow military.

Evetta jerked back at the same time as she kicked her booted foot into the male’s groin. She didn’t wait to see his reaction. Pulling out the small metal weight she carried in her pocket, she swung it at the back of his head over and over again when he bent forward.

She didn’t stop even when he fell to his knees then to the floor. He would kill her if she didn’t kill him first. With one last blow, she jerked backwards away from the blood pooling on the floor around the dead man. Nausea threatened to choke her but she swallowed it down. With shaking hands, she cleaned the small metal pipe and as much of the blood off her skin and clothing as she could before she slid the pipe back into her pocket.

She glanced up and around. She did not need to worry about anyone seeing her unless they walked up on her. The Marastin Dow were a blood-thirsty species who killed each other with ease and could care less.

She knew there were those trying to change how they worked and interacted together. Unfortunately, those still ruling their world believed in the old ways; survival of the fittest. She could only hope there would be changes before too long. She had heard of a rebellion against the leaders who believed in and encouraged the blood-bath.

Still, it was just rumors. She and Hanine hated living in fear. They hated the constant threat of violence. She and her sister had witnessed the brutal murder of their own parents when their father had been chosen to participate in the ‘games’ as they were called.

Her mother had fought to protect her father only to be slain for resisting. Their parents believed in a better way of life. They had been merchants who dealt in herbs from different worlds and met many other species in their travels.

They had lived in one of the smaller villages that had already started to see that violence was not a normal way of life. It wasn’t until a new governor for the region had killed the existing one that things changed. Their parents had been vocal about living in peace. That had been the beginning of the end for them.

Once she and Hanine reached the age of enrollment at sixteen years, they had both been forced into a twenty year enlistment into the military by a new law the governor enacted. This was their sixth year of service and their second assignment. She wasn’t sure how much longer they would last before they were either raped or murdered. They had barely survived their last assignment and this one was proving to be even more challenging. Already, Hanine had been attacked twice. This attack made it the fourth time against her in less than two years.

Drawing in a deep breath, Evetta turned to head back toward the lift. She stopped when she heard the echo of voices coming toward her. Glancing around, she turned in the opposite direction. She had never been to the lower levels of the warship. It looked like she was about to discover it.

*.*.*

An hour later, Evetta leaned back against the side of the bulkhead and sighed. She had been weaving in and out of the corridors, avoiding the staff on this level. She pushed off the wall and frowned when she heard the unusual sound of music echoing through the empty corridor. The haunting chords wrapped around her, as if invisible ropes were pulling her toward the melody. She moved slowly, hesitantly toward the sound.

Pausing outside the opening to a small room, she tilted her head in wonder. A strange alien male sat in a chair up against the wall. His feet were propped up on another chair and he was blowing into a small metal device that made beautiful music.

Her eyes roamed hungrily over his bent head. He didn’t know she was there, or at least she didn’t think he did as he didn’t change his position. She stepped gingerly into the room, wanting to see more of his face. His hair was a dark brown and was long and shaggy. The ends were ragged, as if he cut it himself. His skin was a natural tan color and darker brown hair covered his forearms. He was tall. As tall as the males of her species and he was just as muscular if the fit of his shirt was any indication.

She froze when he glanced up at her. He never paused in the song he was playing. Dark brown eyes gazed back at her with such intensity she started to take a step back before forcing herself to remain where she was standing.

Her eyes scanned the rugged face of the unusual male. He had high cheekbones and a long, narrow nose that was slightly crooked in the center. Dark stubble covered his cheeks, jaw and around his mouth. His long fingers moved with a grace that held her mesmerized as she watched him slide them back and forth across the silver metal making her wonder what it would feel like to have them slide across her skin.

Her lips parted as the last notes faded away leaving them in silence. Her eyes jerked back up to his when he slowly lowered the instrument in his hands and stood up. She was unable to prevent the defensive step she took backwards as he rose to his full height. He stood at least a head taller than her.

“Who…what are you?” Evetta asked in a voice she didn’t recognized as her own. Since when had she ever been breathless around a male before? She frowned. “Where did you come from?”

Chapter 2

Ben knew the moment the female entered the small room that he used when he wanted to be alone. It had a small port window, two chairs and nothing else. Hell, not much else could fit into the narrow space unless he took out the chairs.

He was used to the occasional visitor when he was playing his harmonica. It was the one thing besides Aaron that he had left from Earth. It had been the last gift their mom had given him before she patted him on the head, gave Aaron a kiss and walked out the door never to return.

He was playing Red River Valley. It was the first song he had learned to play. There was something about the haunting melody that pulled at him on days when he was feeling melancholy. Over the years, he had taught himself other songs that he vaguely remembered from Earth or made up new ones. It was one of the things that helped keep him sane.

He continued to finish out the last of the chorus, drawing out the last few notes before turning his attention to his unexpected visitor. Behr was very careful about who came to the lower sections of the ship. He and the rest of the crew on the lower levels were very suspicious of any crew member who came down who had not been screened first. Since Ben had never seen this female before, he suspected she had found her way down without their knowledge. Behr was very meticulous about making sure he and Aaron were introduced to anyone new.

“Can I help you?” Ben asked, rising to his feet and looking down on the slender female.

“I…who are you? What are you?” The female asked again in a confused, hesitant voice.

His lips curved up in an unexpected hint of a smile. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like smiling. The female looked like she wasn’t used to seeing a smile of humor either.

He studied her as she studied him. She was very attractive for being an alien. He had never thought of ‘purple’ skin as being something he would be drawn to but there was something about the female that made him want to reach out and touch her.

She had the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. They were dark, almost black and were shimmering with a shy curiosity. She had long, black hair that looked thick and glossy and hug down her back in a long braid.

When she bit her bottom lip, he fought the urge to soothe it with a kiss. He could feel his cock harden at the idea. A dark frown of confusion crossed his face as he tried to understand why he was reacting the way he was. Sure, it had been years since he had enjoyed the body of a woman but he was used to dealing with his desires either on his own or through hard work to take his mind off his sexual needs.

“Well,” the female suddenly demanded. “Are you going to answer me?”

Ben chuckled at her irritated tone. “Actually, I was thinking how much I’d like to kiss you,” he admitted. “My name is Ben Cooper, by the way. I’m a human. And you are?”

Evetta looked startled before a reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. “I’m Evetta Marquette, Engineer Technician First Class.”

“Would you like to have a seat?” Ben asked, stepping aside so she could sit in one of the two chairs. “I’m afraid I don’t have any refreshments to offer.”

“You…,” Evetta glanced nervously at the chair before she looked back up at Ben. “You say you were thinking of kissing me but you don’t try to force yourself on me. Why?”

Ben grimaced but didn’t look away. “I don’t believe in forcing my attentions on a woman. A woman has the right to make the choice. I prefer her willing and wanting. I find it much more rewarding if she is enjoying herself.”

Evetta took a cautious step closer to him. “I want you to kiss me,” she said suddenly. “But nothing more,” she added hastily.

Ben’s eyes widened in surprise before his eyes darkened with desire. His eyes swept down to her lips. While her top lip was thin, her bottom one looked full and lush. He fought back a groan when her tongue darted out to moisten it. He shook his head and clenched his fists.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Evetta,” Ben replied softly, turning away to look out the small port window at the darkness of space.

“Why? You don’t want to kiss me now? You do not find me…attractive?” She asked in a puzzled voice. “Is it because I am different from your kind?”

Ben stiffened and looked down. How did he explain that he was afraid to touch her? What if he couldn’t stop at just a kiss? It had been over four years since he had last been with a woman. Then, it was with a whore that the captain brought back for him and Aaron before they left the Spaceport they had stopped at. Evetta was no whore to enjoy. Neither was she an emotionless sex droid that each crew member used for the long trips between dockings. He wouldn’t be able to just cast her aside once the edge was taken care of.

Ben cleared his throat before he turned back around. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman,” he explained gruffly. “You are a very attractive woman, Evetta. I think it best if I keep my distance.”

He watched as her eyes widened in surprise before she frowned in concentration. He could tell she was arguing with herself. Her lips moved ever so slightly and she impatiently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of dried blood on her hand.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, ignoring the way she stiffened defensively as he held her slender hand in his larger, warmer one. He turned it until her knuckles were facing upward so he could see them better. They looked slightly bruised but he didn’t see any cuts.

“You’re bleeding,” he murmured. “What happened?”

Evetta tried to jerk her hand back but he refused to let her go. Now that he was touching her, he never wanted to let her go. The feel of her skin was surprisingly soft. He gently ran his thumb over her bruised knuckles.

“It is not my blood,” she admitted softly.

Ben glanced up at her sharply. “Whose is it?”

Evetta glanced nervously down at the hand he was holding. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about what happened. What if he told her commanding officers? They more than likely wouldn’t care but they may demand something for their silence – like the use of her body in exchange.

She had heard and seen that happen too many times over the last six years. One of the other females who was in her department on her last assignment was attacked by one of the engineers. The female had killed him in self-defense just like she had. Only that fight had been witnessed by one of the upper level commanding officers. He had demanded the female pay restitution for the loss of the male or face death. Three months later, the female returned a hollow shell of who she had been before. The officers had used her. She was transferred to another warship not long after that when she killed the commanding officer.

“I killed a male,” she whispered. “Three levels up. He disabled a sensor and I was sent to repair it. He came up behind me and attacked me. I knew if I did not kill him he would kill me after he….”

Ben felt the tremble in Evetta’s hand when she admitted to him what she had done. He knew enough of the laws of the Marastin Dow that it had nothing to do with justice. That was one of the things Behr and the others were working on. He had shared a little of what he remembered from the United States and several other countries. He hadn’t been the best of students but he had loved history and he remembered a book report he had done comparing several different countries’ political structures. Behr and several other officers and enlisted personnel were working on developing a new Constitution for their people.

Over the last four years, both he and Aaron had learned to read, write and speak the language of the Marastin Dow thanks to Behr and the others working with him to start the fires of a revolution. Behr had asked them both repeatedly to look over the draft and comment on it. For the first time in over ten years, he and Aaron felt like maybe there had been a greater purpose for their kidnapping.