Page 21 of Two Aliens Are Better Than One (Bodyguards in Space #1)

Chapter 20

Lucky

W e finally emerged from the cabin a few hours later, mostly because we needed food to keep having sex without fainting. Relzo was walking a little funny, and Vaelu held my hand tightly as I led both of them to the galley where we found Connor, Mags, and two Zangrel brothers, Nasso and Ixeo, lounging and chatting, munching on snacks.

Connor was big on snacks. He collected them.

“They live!” Mags laughed as I reached down to hug her. “You guys okay? We were about to send in help.”

“But we were afraid it might cause an awkward situation, if you know what I mean,” Nasso added, wiggling his eyebrows. I slapped him on the chest and sat down on the couch opposite our friends, grabbing a bag of chips and biting into one.

“Not awkward at all,” Relzo said, then yelped as he sat down on a stool. “Okay, that kind of hurts.” Every eye in the room went to his ass. And then to Vaelu’s dick.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Connor asked, his sharp hazel eyes drifting over the three of us. He was perhaps my oldest friend — I’d met him before Relzo or Mags had even come to Merax — but he was not the closest, not anymore. Like Relzo, he’d started to separate himself from the group in our teen years. I’d always thought it had been because of his passion for flying, but now that I knew the truth about Relzo I wondered about Connor. Did he have a thing for someone in the group? Mags would make the most sense, I supposed, and I thought they’d make a cute couple.

He was so damn handsome he could have any woman he wanted, and often did, but he never kept the same one around for long. I made a note to pull him aside and ask.

“Do we need a plan?” Relzo finally found a comfortable sitting position, then stretched his four arms, looping them around both me and Vaelu. “My loves are safe. That’s all I care about.”

“You know Con,” Mags said. “He means an employment plan. Connor wouldn’t be Connor if he didn’t remind us how we all need suitable employment at least once a week.”

“Fuck off. If you all would simply hold on to your jobs for more than five minutes, I wouldn’t have to bring it up,” Connor said.

“So what are you saying, Connor? Are you and I are the only people on this ship with a job? Mags, I thought you were going to the police academy. And Ixeo, what happened to your plan to make the Meraxian psychedelic berries into a legal recreational drug?”

“We have some business ideas in the works. It’s just that none of them have worked out.” Ixeo stretched his big arms behind his head, his expression smug. “The berries resulted in a weird… situation. Maybe a nightclub? To show hot women we’re cool.” Shit, I really wanted the story behind that situation. I glanced at Mags, and she winked and zipped her lips.

“I thought we were going to build an art museum. To show hot women we’re deep and intellectual,” Nasso said.

“What about hot men?” Mags asked. “How do we lure hot men? I’m determined to marry a Zangrel, and I need to find my true life-mate.”

“See what I mean?” Connor whispered.

“The art museum was before we figured out how much that costs, and how unlikely it is to make a profit,” Ixeo said.

“How do you know we’re not your life-mates?” Nasso asked.

“I just know.”

“She’s fucked them both,” Connor explained, looking slightly pained. “During the berry situation.”

“I cannot be held accountable for what happens when someone tells me he’s found the perfect calming, chill recipe for his psychedelic berry candies.”

Nasso grinned. “It did not make her chill.”

Something on the ship’s computer beeped and Connor frowned, looking down at the screen. “We have company. Time to get into MADIA’s protection.” He stood and wandered off towards the bridge.

“Is Connor in love with you?” I asked Mags.

She sighed. “Little bit. But he’s just being stupid. We wouldn’t suit, I need a Zangrel. Lucky bitch.” She poked me.

“Just because your mom has a life-mate bond with a Zangrel doesn’t mean it’s what you need, sweetie,” I said.

“It’s all I’ve craved since my family came together. I can’t ignore that for Broody McBrooderson up there.”

Ixeo shifted in his seat, grimacing. “Technically, Connor is my life-mate. But, like, I’m not into men, so I’m still trying to sort that out.”

“The plot thickens,” Relzo said, laughing.

“Stop being idiots and get up to the bridge.” Connor’s voice on the intercom got us all moving, and enough of us had grown up around pirates and smugglers to recognize the slight note of panic under his snarky tone. And when we got up there, he was sending out a mayday. We’d dropped out of faster-than-light and there was a huge Chokreini ship planted right in front of us.

“Hi, Mom,” Vaelu said, and we all turned to the woman on the viewscreen to the left.

“Does she have to stand so close to the camera?” Ixeo whispered. “It’s freaking me out. I can see her individual nose hairs.”

“You are outside your jurisdiction. This is Meraxian space. Please disengage,” Connor said.

“You have my son.”

Connor glanced back at Vaelu. “Your son appears to be an adult and is here willingly. Again, our fleet is coming. You must disengage immediately.”

“He sounds so professional,” Mags whispered. “When did he get so professional? It’s kind of sexy.”

“Shut up, Mags,” Connor said. My stomach flipped as the Chokreini ship locked its sights on us. Nasso climbed into the seat next to Connor, taking over our weapons array, which I knew was extensive. But still, I didn’t want to get into a firefight with my future mother-in-law.

“Mom. We completed the ankra. You can’t separate me from him or we’ll both die.”

“He’s manipulating you, Vaelu.” And yep, you really could count her nose hairs.

“Is that a booger?” Ixeo whispered. Nasso snickered, even as he was flipping switches on the dashboard. Four flashes appeared behind the Chokreini ship. The Naldaeth and two MADIA drones. There were more flashes, but no ships, which meant five or six more of MADIA’s drones had popped up, cloaked and surrounding our ship, and I finally let out a breath. Our planet’s Artificial Intelligence kicked some serious ass.

“You are out-manned,” Connor said. “We will allow you to leave peacefully, but if you fire on us we will have to return fire.”

There was a tense moment as we watched the side of Vaelu’s mother’s nose communicate with someone else on her ship. And then, saying nothing more, they jumped, disappearing before the fight even started. I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d been holding Vaelu and Relzo’s hands until my dad’s face popped up on the screen. I could see my mom in the background, disarming their weapons. She waved.

“Are you kids okay?” he asked. “Oh hey, Relzo! Lucky! New guy! Welcome home. By the way, have you seen your sister anywhere?”

“We’re fine, Dad,” I told him, smiling widely. “It’s so good to see you. We have so much to tell you.”