Page 30 of My Alien Angel (Supernova Casanovas #6)

Omni

Humans love their bureaucracy almost as much as the United Galactic Congress.

In that regard, they would fit right in.

In fact, they’d fit in well in many regards.

The only condition they’re missing right now is independent interstellar travel.

With the information they got from this ancient shuttle, they might be closer to achieving it than most of the universe thinks.

After one last briefing that held exactly zero informational value, they finally let me back into the shuttle and opened the doors above, letting sunlight filter into the room.

The shuttle door closes, the human cobbled together display informing me that the vacuum seal is holding.

For now, anyway. With how messed up this ship is, it will be a miracle if it gets me into orbit without falling apart.

I’m feeling very alone and after recently spending so much time in other people’s presence, in Fin’s presence, the silence is unsettling.

She probably hates me for having her removed from the hangar, but I was at the end of my resolve back there.

I was seconds away from making the worst decision of my life and letting her come along.

I can’t. She has a life here. I can’t yank her out of it for my own selfish reasons, especially if the best-case scenario for this stunt is me getting arrested.

It’s almost funny how little I care about my own fate at this point.

“Hangar door open,” sounds from the speakers outside. I recognize Colonel Lewis’ terse voice. “You are cleared for takeoff. Good luck.”

Luck. I’m going to need it in spades.

I’m not the most experienced pilot, even under the best of circumstances with a plethora of modern gadgets installed in every ship manufactured these days, so it takes me by surprise when I actually manage to maneuver the barely responsive ship out of the hangar without hitting anything.

Only one out of the two engines is operational, though, and “operational” is still open for debate.

The ship is running on a volatile mix of alien and Earth technology that has about the same chance of exploding as it has of making the ship fly.

The winds must be on my side, though, because while the ship trembles violently and lists to one side, it does actually gain altitude.

I move the ship into the best vector to exit the atmosphere, human aircrafts following me as far as they can before peeling away after reaching their maximum altitude limit.

The ancient ship bravely climbs up, its artificial gravity generator ready to give out at any moment as it struggles to escape the planet’s atmosphere, the roar of the engine almost deafening.

Scanning the surprisingly few warnings popping up on the screen, I conclude that the humans did a pretty good job of repairing this relic.

It might not enter hyperspace in this condition, but it’s going to hold together well enough to reach the blockade.

Unlike Earth sensors, this ship can actually detect the UGC ships hovering on the dark side of the planet’s singular moon.

They’re here, just like I knew they would be.

With a bit of luck, so is the Eclipse Raider.

If nothing else, at least I will be able to expose the traitor amongst the UGC officers.

Aiming for the lead battleship of the blockade, I push the little shuttle to its limits.

Heat coming from the reactor section is suspicious, hinting that whatever human scientists did to patch it is not working as well as it should, but the ship isn’t melting around me.

Yet. The internal atmosphere is holding well and I can’t detect any significant structural damage to the hull. So far, so good.

As if jinxed by my thoughts, there’s a loud metallic rattling suddenly coming from the aft of the ship.

Cursing, I lock in the ship’s course using the rudimentary autopilot and rush over to fix whatever is causing that noise before the damage becomes catastrophic.

The sound is coming from a supply nook. I thought this area was empty but it’s clearly not as something thuds against the door from inside again and again. What the fuck?

Yanking the door open, I jump back as something tumbles straight out at me. Something soft and warm and with a head of hair that smells of chocolate. “Fin?!”

She sucks in a wheezing gasp. “Couldn’t…breathe…”

Horror consumes me as I realize she’s been inside that small nook since takeoff, behind the door that, while the ship was landed, could be freely opened from both sides, but hermetically seals itself off after takeoff. Blasted winds! She could have suffocated in there! “Are you insane?!”

“Glad to see you too,” she wheezes, then coughs. “I didn’t know the stupid door would lock me inside. I thought I’d come out once we were far enough away from Earth that you wouldn’t make me return.”

“Why…? How…? What?” I’m stunned, my mind taking too long to realize Fin is here.

She’s here, in my arms. With me. Warmth spreads through my entire body at being able to hold her again.

Then it’s quickly doused as I realize our situation.

We’re on a ship that could fall apart at any moment, headed toward a monstrously large, heavily armed battleship that might just decide to blow us up or, best case scenario, arrest me the moment we dock. “You can’t be here.”

“I am here,” Fin replies. “You said you wanted me, so I’m here. Deal with it.”

Her words are final, but there’s an underlying insecurity in her tone, as if she’s doubting my feelings for her.

“Fin, I want you, I do, but I want you safe, more. That is why I want you stay on Earth. But now you are here…” Pulling her closer, I capture her stubborn mouth in a kiss.

This kiss is different to the one back on Earth, the one I believed to be our last. Instead of “goodbye”, this kiss is “hello”.

It’s passionate and grateful and full of hope.

Fin responds by plunging her tongue into my mouth, taking control, as if she needs to convince herself this is real as much as I do.

My cock hardens from how tightly she’s pressed against me and, while I’d love nothing more than to take Fin right here on this floor, we have bigger problems.

As if on cue, the cockpit display starts beeping insistently. “Unidentified ship,” comes from the speakers, “you are in violation of the Non-Interference Directive. Identify yourself or be destroyed.”

Pulling away, Fin looks worriedly at the monitors. “That sounds like we’re in trouble.”

It’s probably for the best she can’t translate the obvious threat just issued by the UGC.

“Yes. I need answer.” She’s hot on my heels as I return to the cockpit and hit the transmit button, praying to the winds that the humans fixed the comms. “This is Omni, former Voidstalker of the Nova Squad.” I rattle off my identification and security code.

It’s invalid, but it should still be in their database.

At the very least, it should make them interested in talking to me before opening fire.

“I have urgent information for the commander of this blockade.”

“We’re detecting two life forms on board.”

“I have a human with me.” Wincing, I imagine the ruckus this admission has just caused.

I’m happy to have Fin by my side, but she’s just increased my charges from trespassing to primitive species kidnapping.

There’s no talking my way out of this. On the other hand…

“She’s an innocent victim, which means you can’t shoot us down.

” I’m certain that Garresh’s contact was about to do just that.

Destroying my ship would be the ideal way to silence me and without Fin on board, the spy would suffer little more than a slap on the wrist for it, which means that Fin’s presence really is a blessing.

“Send me the docking coordinates. I surrender.”

There’s a growl from the other side of the communication channel, but the person has no choice but to oblige. Once I’ve altered our course, I turn back to face Fin. Seeing my serious expression, she frowns. “Did I get you into more trouble by being here?”

“You just saved my life.” I’m not about to tell her about the increased charges, she’ll find out soon enough. “Listen, Fin. When we arrive, they arrest me.”

“But I can tell them—”

“Infinity,” I interrupt a little more abruptly than necessary, but I need her to understand the stakes.

“We are in incredible danger. Both us. They will arrest me.” Winds, they might just shoot me, but let’s hope it won’t come to that.

“No matter what happens, you need give information about Garresh.”

“Okay.” Determination shines through her watery eyes. “They won’t hurt you, though. Will they?”

“Fin, I am not important. I did not want you involved but now you are here, you need to do right thing. Stop Garresh. That is only important. Nothing more. Understand?” Her nod is a little hesitant, but I trust she’ll pull through.

“You are innocent. You need to say that in front of people. Say you were kidnapped, you are innocent and you not give consent to memory wipe. That is important. You must say you not give consent in front of many witnesses.”

Her brows draw together to form a frown. “You think the traitor will try to silence us. Arrest you before you can talk to someone and have my memories wiped, so I can’t tell anyone about them.”

“So smart.” I kiss her forehead. “Yes. Exactly. Laws protect victims. If you say you are victim, traitor can’t touch you. You still have to be careful. They are dangerous. Very, very dangerous.”

“Okay,” Fin repeats. “I’ll inform them of the alien conspiracy, then I’ll get you out of jail. Piece of cake.”

I grin, my own eyes getting a little teary.

Damn, how will I live the rest of my life without this beautiful and brave woman?

“Yes. Piece of cake.” Because this is likely the last time I’ll get to see her without force fields separating us, I pull her into another kiss.

A searing, passionate declaration of my love.

Committing every inch of her delicious curvy body to memory, I hold onto Fin as if she’s the air that I breathe, intent on replaying this very moment over and over in my head during the life sentence I’m bound to get.

The screeching sound blaring from the autopilot interrupts our stolen moment, making me reluctantly pull away from the woman who would have become my mate under different circumstances.

“I need to fly manually.” Nodding, Fin slips off my lap and settles into the copilot’s chair.

Glancing at her one last time, I begin guiding the shuttle into the gaping maw of one of the battleship’s hangars. “Remember what is important, Infinity.”