Page 6 of Two Aliens Are Better Than One (Bodyguards in Space #1)

Chapter 5

Relzo

I knew there was something wrong with the Chokreini I had rescued, but I couldn’t focus on that until I had secured the pod and turned on the cloaking shield I carried with me. I wasn’t sure if he was having a panic attack or something more, but it wouldn’t matter if they shot at our little pod. We’d be dead in an instant. We needed to stay dark until the ships were out of sight, so I hoped like hell he didn’t have a serious medical issue.

I glanced at him and thought of Moslu, of the day long ago when another Chokreini had needed my help and I had put the mission first. This time I had been determined to alter the outcome, but going in half-cocked might have meant I’d fucked things up even more.

He sat on the pod’s bench-shaped bed, his knees tucked against his chest, his arms wrapped around himself, coming as close to a little ball as a man his size could. And he wasn’t a small man, not like Moslu had been. He was almost my height, with a leaner, more angular build than mine, still broad in the shoulders. I would have thought him stronger than Moslu, but as I approached he backed away from me, fear radiating off of him in waves. It was strange how much I could feel his fear, but he’d said he was a telepath. Many people found my kind intimidating. With our four arms and massive build, I didn’t blame them for being a little afraid.

“We’re safe,” I murmured, squatting and reaching out for the man, trying to offer comfort, which only made him flinch. Moslu had shown the same fear around me, and there had been no way to comfort him, but this time I was fighting a strong urge to try. The Chokreini were a proud, strong people, but their elite, gifted classes were thought to be delicate. Perhaps even this level of stress was enough to cause a reaction. “I mean you no harm.” I tried to keep my voice calm and gentle, like I was dealing with an unpredictable wild animal and not a man.

The urge to touch him, to pull him close and comfort him, was stronger than any urge I’d felt before. In my line of work I was often tasked with rescuing and protecting victims of crime, and normally I could compartmentalize my emotions and focus on the victim’s needs with a certain level of detachment. That detachment had all but vanished today.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to shut out the pain and uncertainty radiating off of him and find my center. My only mission now was to get this man to safety, not to comfort him or give him hugs. I stood and backed off a little, and the odd itch under my skin resisted being away from him. The itch grew in intensity as I took another step back from him, and one word echoed through my mind, a steady pulse that beat with my heart. Mine.

Was he mine, or was I his?

None of that made any sense. I didn’t want this man to be mine, even as tendrils of his thoughts wove through my mind, confusing me. He was freaking the fuck out, and it became more and more difficult to calm my own mind with his wild panic inside my head.

“Can you shut that down? Your telepathy.” I rubbed my temples, trying to push him out.

“I don’t know.” He let out a soft groan, curling himself into a tighter ball, and I stepped forward, a new wave of worry coursing through me. “I was open to you when you touched me. I was too receptive. Now it might be too late.” Right, so I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded dire.

“You’re safe. I work for the IUC security force. The men inside were part of the Kavax Crime Syndicate. They use people like you for certain things. Bad things.”

“That’s not the problem. The problem is us. We touched when I was already inside your head. I wasn’t prepared to stop it.”

“Stop what?”

He blew out a breath. “If they sent you for me, why wouldn’t they explain what I was?” he snapped, rubbing his hands over his face. “You can’t touch me. It’s too dangerous for you. I have to spend hours preparing myself for physical touch.” Blinking, I stared down at my bare hands, which had been touching him plenty a moment ago. All four hands had been on his bare skin, my shoulder against his stomach as I lifted him.

“Shit,” I whispered. “Dangerous how?” I waited, but he didn’t answer; just sat there, rolled into a ball, and I squatted in front of him, moderating my voice. “Listen, I know what you are. I’ve met velasu before. But I wasn’t briefed on any of this. This wasn’t my mission. I was undercover with the syndicate, and when the details of the kidnapping leaked I had to make a call. I broke my cover to come help you.”

“Why?” he asked, frowning. I could physically feel his mind prodding at mine, searching for answers, and the taste and smell of him permeated my senses even from across the space. His words echoed in my mind, desperate and confused.

“Why what?”

“Why blow your cover? Why risk everything for me?”

“I met a velasu once, when I was undercover. A different assignment, but a similar group of guys. They were using him for their own purposes, forcing him to torture information out of people. It was fucked up. He was fucked up by it. I couldn’t…” I trailed off, unable to explain how bad it had been. My instincts warred with my body. This man was dangerous. He was delicate and helpless. He was mine. When he lifted his gaze to mine his golden eyes were glowing, and waves of intense emotion washed over me, centered on one very specific thought — that he was beautiful.

Did I want to fuck him? I pondered that for a moment, then decided he still wasn’t my type. My type was decidedly female.

“Ignore it,” he snapped. “Those urges are going to mess up everything. Compartmentalize, don’t let it overwhelm you. Stay away from me and let me ride it out.”

“It hurts. You hurt,” I whispered. “I need to help. And stop putting your pain in my head if you want me to compartmentalize.”

“That’s what you are. You help,” he murmured, his eyes wide. “I don’t know how to stop it, not anymore, but I think I’ll be okay eventually. You should take care of yourself, think of your future.”

“I never had a very good sense of self-preservation.” I hesitated for a beat and sighed. “With the other velasu, I had to maintain my cover. Other people would have been hurt if I didn’t. But he’s still in my head. Not how you’re in my head. He was at the edges. You’re deeper, like a parasite, worming your way in there.” At my words he lifted his eyes to meet mine, a wave of curiosity washing through me. His curiosity. The angry glow in his eyes had softened a little, and that made me smile. “Why are you so deep in my head?”

“This is punishable by death. For both of us.”

“Stop being so cryptic and just explain shit already. And maybe let me give you a hug. My arms really want to hug you.”

“I don’t hug,” he snapped, but if I wasn’t mistaken his body shifted slightly closer to me.

“Neither do I. You think I’m a hugger? Do I look like a hugger?”

He smirked, his eyes sliding across my shoulders. “You have four arms.”

His mind said something else — that he knew how it would be to be wrapped up in me, and that he wanted it. He was fighting the same thing I was fighting, except apparently he was stronger than me, because I kept noticing that I’d inched closer without consciously deciding to do that. If he didn’t look so scared I would have been on him in an instant, skin to skin. Our bodies would be one the way our souls were now one. Fuck, what kinds of thoughts were racing through my head? I’d lost my goddamn mind. And with that, I felt a nudge of his mind against mine. It felt soft and warm and cuddly, if a little nervous, like a furry pet asking for you to scratch its ears. My fingers twitched, and I took another step closer.

“If you don’t want me to hug you, I suggest you shut down the telepath thing.”

“It’s more than that,” he murmured. He stood, and the towel around his waist fell away, revealing his lean body, which was all sharp angles and cut muscle. He didn’t look one bit cuddly. I was convinced he’d fit perfectly against me anyway. I’d never been attracted to a man before, but he was stunning, from his wide golden eyes to the thick, purple cock that hung against his thigh. He walked to the small window on the side of the escape pod and looked out. “They’re still there, looking for us, but they haven’t scooped us up yet.”

I could feel his mind trying to force a subject change, and I didn’t want that to happen, but I went along with it. “I come from a planet where we have cloaking tech. They can’t see us.”

“Zangrelli?”

“No. Well, I was born on Zangrelli, but the planet I consider my home is called Merax 9. It’s a sanctuary of sorts for people who need it. And we’re very good at hiding, even in plain sight. So that’s what we’re doing. They’re over there trying to calculate our jump coordinates, but we haven’t jumped. Usually, after a little confusion, they’ll make a guess and jump, leaving us in the clear to make our own move. Just have to sit tight.”

He frowned. “So, to be clear, my choice is to wait in this tiny one-room escape pod with you until they give up, or to reveal myself and be kidnapped by criminals who will attempt to use my abilities to hurt people.”

“That about sums it up, yep. The escape pod has a beacon, but I don’t want to activate it until we know this airspace is clear of trackers.”

“How do we prevent the ankra, then?” As he spoke I could feel the dread overwhelming him, and it made my stomach turn.

“Maybe start by telling me what it is.”