Page 7 of Alien Daddies
“We cannot turn back, little human. We have already reached the Interstellar Portal Array and entered the wormhole to our home world. If we turn around, my brothers and I will find ourselves stuck on Earth for six months, as we wouldn’t be able to reenter the wormhole within Earth’s solar system until the window in your solar system opens again,” he explained slowly, as if she didn’t understand how the array worked. “The portal from Earth to Khanndora doesn’t open frequently, as hundreds of thousands of lightyears rest between our worlds.”
“That’s unacceptable!” She pushed at his chest but to no avail. He was bigger and stronger than her, and she despaired over being completely at his mercy. But it angered her that his ship had been parked on the runway for vessels bound to Phennulos, and it also frustrated her that he wasn’t being the least bit sympathetic to her plight. One moment he looked angry with her, and the next moment he was sniffing her again, his eyes darkening with lust as if he wanted to rip her clothes off and take her roughly right then and there.
Panic gripped her. Other than the faint click of the hatch shutting, she hadn’t heard or felt the slightest noise or movement of the ship. She had truly believed they were still parked on the runway at Rissa Island’s Interstellar Port. Khanndoran vessels must provide a much smoother ride than human-built ships like thePortania.
“You will calm yourself right now. It’s a crime to stow away on an interstellar ship, and you will remain in my custody until we arrive on my home planet where I will immediately turn you over to our judicial system.”
Her vision swam as she experienced a bout of dizziness. Her knees, suddenly weakened, began to buckle. But the alien caught her, now holding her up with both his massive hands. She gulped hard. His six-fingered hands. He wasn’t human, this wasn’t a human vessel, and she was no longer under the jurisdiction of Earth’s laws.
“Please don’t turn me over to your legal system. I-I have heard Khanndoran justice is quite barbaric. I don’t want to die. Please.”
Warmth flooded his previously hard gaze, kindness softening his features for the first time. “While stowing away on a warship is a serious crime, I assure you it would not warrant the death penalty. Considering you don’t seem to have any nefarious intentions, I suspect a judge would show you leniency. Non-Khanndoran females are typically jailed or placed into rehabilitation programs for one to two years for similar offenses, before they are returned to their home planets.” Though his words came in a gentle tone, she found no comfort in them.
Jail. For a year or two. She couldn’t fathom it. She wasn’t a criminal. Not really. She had simply wished to join her friends for summer vacation and escape the loneliness of Rissa Island. Tears clouded her vision and she swallowed hard against the sudden burning in her throat. Oh, God. What had she done?
“Come,” he said, guiding her down the aisle of crates.
“Wait! May I please get my backpack?” She’d left it between the storage crates she’d been hiding and briefly sleeping between. She hoped he didn’t steal her expensive jewelry, but she supposed if he rummaged through her belongings and helped himself, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. Still, she wanted to keep the backpack with her if possible, just in case she had any use for the contents inside. This particular alien might not be amenable to bribes, but perhaps at some point she would run into one who was.
He released her arm and nodded. “Hurry up.”
She spun on her heel and ran for the backpack. She slung it over her shoulder and emerged from between the crates, cursing her luck for having snuck onto a ship that was headed hundreds of thousands of lightyears in the wrong direction. Her reasons for wanting to stow away to Phennulos now felt silly. She would gladly exchange spending a lonely summer on Rissa Island instead of finding herself before a judge on a distant world.
One to two years.
Her stomach flipped every time she imagined being jailed on the alien planet. She’d heard those jailed on Khanndora faced hard labor and brutal conditions inside the prisons, though now that she thought about it, she wasn’t sure if females were treated as harshly as males. He’d mentioned rehabilitation programs as well, but even so, she shuddered to think of the hell that awaited her, because no matter how she was treated in prison or in some kind of behavioral program, her freedom was about to be stripped from her. For a long fucking time. Emotion overcame her as the direness of her situation sank in.
“Why are you crying?” The alien walked closer, until he was once again hovering over her. God, he was so tall. And muscular. She’d never seen an alien male with shoulders so broad.
“I-I am frightened,” she admitted, though she blinked rapidly, not wishing to cry in front of him. “I don’t want to go to jail. Especially over an accident.”
His visage softened again, his eyes becoming molten pools of compassion. “As I said, you will likely only serve one to two years for your crimes.”
One to two years might not seem like a long time to him, but for her it loomed ahead like an eternity. She still couldn’t fathom it. She glanced over her shoulder and took in the rest of her surroundings, the urge to run away from this huge alien mounting with every shaky breath she inhaled. But where could she go? They were on a vessel bound for Khanndora. Even if she managed to hide for a while, she had no doubt he would eventually find her.
“Must you turn me over to the authorities?” she asked. “I-I could earn my keep on your ship, I promise. You could release me once we reached your planet and then you’ll never have to see me again.” Hope lifted in her chest. Yes, this could work. She could trade in some of the jewelry for Khanndoran credits and pretend she was a tourist, then book passage back to Earth six months from now.
“Interstellar warships are scanned by our defense system upon arrival on Khanndora. Even if I wished to hide you, little human, I could not. Your alien life signs will be detected when we pass through our planetary shield before we even land. Human visitors are required to travel through sanctioned tourist companies, unless they are on official business on behalf of an Earth government, and those on official business travel on specially designated diplomat vessels, never on privately owned warships. I fear there is no way of hiding you.” He gave her a pointed look. “Are you married?”
“No.”
“Stowing away on an interstellar ship is dangerous business, even if you were bound for Phennulos as you say. The cargo holds on most ships are kept at freezing temperatures, many even colder than this one. If you didn’t freeze to death, you could easily become ill. Do you not have a brother, a father, or another male relative to keep you in line? Or at the very least, to keep you safe?”
She bristled at his suggestion that she needed a male relative to watch over her as if she were a child. But at the same time, her heart panged with a deep longing for the very thing he’d just described. How nice it would be to have someone care about her wellbeing.
“I have no one,” she said suddenly, an idea forming. “I’m an orphan. I-I wished to go to Phennulos to find a job.” The Vega name wouldn’t help her. Not on Khanndora. Since this alien’s people placed so much value on males taking care of females, perhaps they would see an orphaned female as a sad case. Perhaps this sob story would influence a judge to show her leniency.
He narrowed his eyes at her, a look of suspicion stealing over him. “An orphan, you say? And you’re on your way to find a job?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Moments ago, you offered me jewels. I find it strange an orphan who needs a job desperately enough that she would attempt to stow away on an interstellar ship would have jewels in her possession.”
Fuck fuck fuck.
Makenna’s mouth went dry and she scrambled to think of an explanation. She had never been good at lying, though it seemed she’d been doing a lot of it lately. First to her friends, and now to this alien. “I-I wasn’t always an orphan,” she said slowly. “My-my mother gave me some jewels that have been in our family for several generations before she died. She, um, died when I was only ten. I’ve been on my own since then. Earth is overcrowded and it’s difficult to find a good job in the service industry, which is about all I’m qualified for. Most service jobs are held by bots these days, but Phennulos doesn’t use bots.”
He continued to stare down at her, not once blinking. “I also find it strange that if you indeed have jewels in your possession, that you still opted to sneak onto a ship, rather than purchase a ticket to Phennulos. Are you banned from interstellar travel? Are you a criminal?”
