Page 32 of My Alien Pirate

"With all due respect, Captain," Grixxa pressed, her normally placid features creased with concern, "they have a right to know why we've changed course. And why we seem to be searching for a ghost ship."

The words struck a nerve. I whirled on my first officer, looming over her. "You overstep, Grixxa."

To her credit, she didn't flinch. "Someone needs to. This isn't like you, Zhar. We're burning through resources, time, not to mention the crew's patience. Everyone knows we were on the way to auction off Nova, not that I agreed with that decision. But now we have two more. The crew is imagining the credits they could fetch with the three aliens we have."

My ridges flashed a deep crimson. "You forget yourself, Grixxa."

"Do I?" Grixxa's lips flattened into a thin line. "Or am I the only one seeing clearly? I know why, Zhar, but I'm the only one. You're going to have to tell the rest of the crew. And soon."

"You're dismissed, Grixxa." I knew she was right but I couldn't handle the crew right now. All I could think about was Nova and our bond.

Grixxa held her ground. "You can't keep avoiding this, Captain. Your feelings for the human—"

"I said dismissed!" I roared, my tentacles lashing out to sweep a nearby console clear.

Grixxa retreated, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and sadness. As the door hissed shut behind her, I sagged against the viewscreen, my reflection a stranger to my own eyes.

With a frustrated growl, I straightened and strode out of the bridge ignoring the looks my men were giving me. Grixxa was right. I had made a big deal about how selling the rare alien would set us all up for life, and having three to offer? I couldn't even imagine the credits we could make even dividing them up. The thought of how the crew would react when they found outwe weren't selling any of them made my stomachs churn worse than when I'd eaten raw meshka.

I thought back to those first moments after finding her, the way her fragile form had stirred something protective in me. The fierce intelligence in her eyes. The way she'd never backed down or showed fear after our first meeting. Her unwavering loyalty to her people. She was truly worthy of being a Xailith's mate.

My scales and ridges rippled with a kaleidoscope of colors as I grappled with unfamiliar feelings. Admiration. Respect. And something deeper, more primal, that I dared not name. Lost in thought, my feet carried me, unbidden, to the med bay. I paused outside the door, steeling myself before entering. I had to remain in control and tell my little scientist that we could no longer spare the resources to search for more of her friends.

As the door quietly slid open, the scene that greeted me stopped me cold, my hearts seizing in my chest. Every muscle on my body went taunt and my ridges pulsed red once again. The male captain and Nova were locked in an embrace, sleeping in each other's arms. The intimacy of the pose, the easy familiarity between them, sent a white-hot surge of unexpected rage through my body.

My vision went as crimson as my ridges, my tentacles lashing out to grip the nearest surface. The metal buckled under my grasp, a low growl building in my throat.

How dare he touch her? How dare she allow it? Nova was mine. Mine!

For a moment, I imagined storming across the room, ripping the human away from Nova, crushing him with my bare hands. The fantasy was so vivid, so visceral, that it shocked me back to my senses. I staggered backwards, unnerved by the intensity of my own reaction and struggling to control my rage.

Striding across the med bay, my tentacles reached out, grabbing Nova around the waist and ripping her from thecaptain's arms. Nova's eyes flew open, confusion quickly turning to alarm as she registered my presence.

"Zharrox? What are you doing?" A shriek escaped her as I clasped her tightly against my chest.

The male, still weak, pushed himself up and attempted to reach for Nova. "What's going on?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

I began carrying her toward the door and away from the kraxing male on the bed, my ridges pulsing a deep, angry red. "You shouldn't be here," I growled at Nova. "You need rest. In your own quarters."

Nova's body tensed and her eyes narrowed at me. She smacked the scales on my shoulder hard enough that I stopped walking in surprise. "Put me down, Zharrox!"

My jaw tightened and the poison glands there started to fill as I struggled to regain control. With a deep growl, I set her down but moved to stand between her and the puny male on the bed. Nova's fists landed on her hips and the blue of her eyes deepened as she scowled at me.

"What is the matter with you? I'm exactly where I need to be. My friends need me."

"Friends," I scoffed, the word tasting bitter. "Is that what you call this... entanglement?"

Nova's arms crossed her chest. "Exactly what are you implying, Captain?" She practically spat the word at me. I didn't like it. At all.

The male on the bed behind me tried to intervene. "Now, wait a minute-"

"Stay out of this," I snarled, not taking my eyes off Nova.

"Don't speak to him like that," Nova snapped. "What's gotten into you? This isn't like you."

I laughed, a harsh sound devoid of humor. "You don't know me, little scientist. You don't know what I'm capable of."

"You don't belong with them anymore," I snarled, looming over Nova. "Your place is here. With us. With m-"