A Deal for Zeylum: A Sci Fi Alien Romance (Tallean Mercenaries Book 1) Read online

  A Deal for Zeylum - Tallean Mercenaries

  Book One

  By Lynnea Lee

  Copyright © 2020 Lynnea Lee

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or used in whole or in part, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction and the characters and incidents found within are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or deceased, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Other Works

  Chapter 1

  It was a rookie mistake. Someone with his experience should have known better, but here he was, about to be thrown into the cargo hold of an enemy ship. Taking a slow breath, Zeylum took stock of his surroundings. Two oversized holding cells took up most of the room, and both were filled with slaves bound for the market. Humans. They were far from home. It seemed like the Galactic Dominion had their fingers in all corners of the galaxy, the greedy bastards.

  The Dominion guard shoved him roughly into the opened pen. Zeylum saw her as he fell. She was small even for a human, with dark, wavy hair to her mid-back and a heart-shaped face. She sat with her knees tucked into her chest, so small and vulnerable. His stomach sank when he realized he was going to land directly on top of her.

  Shit! I’m going to crush her!

  With his hands manacled and legs hobbled, all he could do was twist sharply to the side. She scrambled away just quick enough to avoid the bulk of his weight. He grunted as he landed with a hard thunk on his shoulder.

  Zeylum wasn’t the only one who noticed the pretty female. Her quick movement caught the guard’s attention. The female’s eyes narrowed, and she backed away as if trying to melt into the metalwork of the ship. The guard licked his blubbery lips, his gaze slowly turning lecherous.

  “We deserve a little reward for our work today, don’t you think?” he winked at his buddy, and the other officer cracked a lustful grin.

  The officer reached for the female, grabbing her by the hair, and dragged her out of the cage. Quiet and unassuming until that moment, she sprang into action, kicking and biting. Despite her short ineffective claws, she scratched viciously at her assailants.

  Zeylum raised his eyebrows as the little human, who was barely tall enough to reach his chest, lashed out against two fully grown Tallean males. What a hellion! If this was typical of humans, the Galactic Dominion would have their hands full trying to control their new slaves. The sweet, cloying scent of her panic radiated from her.

  “Get your fucking hands off me!” she bellowed as her knee made firm contact with the officer’s crotch.

  “You little bitch!” he screeched. He drew his hand back and landed an open-palmed slap across her cheek. Her head jerked to the side violently, her hair whipping across her face as she stifled a gasp. Zeylum felt the slap like a punch in his gut.

  “Torf!” the low voice rumbled through the chaos. “If you damage the merchandise, it’s coming off your pay. I told you to lock up our guest,” he stressed the word guest, “not give him a show.”

  The brute’s face turned redder despite already being flushed with anger. “Sir! She…she was causing trouble.” He threw the female back into the cage. “I was just teaching her some manners. Some of these humans are incorrigible! No sense of their place as slaves.”

  The newcomer dismissed the lower ranking officer’s babble with a wave of his hand.

  “Ah, if it isn’t Captain Zeylum of the Defiant, the monster behind the infamous pirate vessel terrorizing the frontier. You’ve got quite a bounty on your head.”

  Zeylum knew. He also knew that the imposing figure preening in front of him was Captain Ulrek of the Stellar Fortune, the poster child of the Dominion’s fleet. He had known Ulrek was planetside when he made the error of dropping into town for a quick supply run on his own. The port was one of the only places this side of the galaxy to deal in misappropriated medical supplies. More specifically, they sold chemicals needed to run the state-of-the-art med beds required to keep his crew in tip-top shape—a necessity, considering their propensity for taking dangerous missions.

  It was supposed to have been a quick in and out, but an old lover had ratted him out. Selene had been only interested in him for his infamy. She was known to be heartless. Despite agreeing to a purely physical temporary liaison, she had nonetheless felt jilted when he returned to his ship without her. That was two galactic years ago. She sure knew how to hold a grudge!

  “Imagine that! The great Zeylum of the Defiant, reduced to begging for scraps with the slaves.” Ulrek eyed him, his sense of triumph oozing from his pores.

  “How was Selene?” Zeylum sneered, unable to hold back. Word in the ports was that Selene had taken up with the Dominion captain. He couldn’t resist taunting the captain, even if he had to stoop low to do it.

  A low growled sounded, and the last thing Zeylum saw was the side of Ulrek’s boot before blackness overcame him.

  The alien was slowly coming to. He had taken a pretty nasty blow to his head, and Ashe was surprised he was still alive. In fact, if the captain’s boot had been angled just a bit off, he would have had his face clawed open by those scary talons these aliens had sticking out the front of their boots.

  He blinked a few times, and their gaze met. She stifled a gasp at the intense emerald green of his eyes. Every Tallean Ashe had met so far, which wasn’t too many, had various shades of green eyes, but his were the most intense by far. A deep green ringed the outside of his irises, fading in a jagged pattern to a bright, vibrant emerald near his pupils. When the light hit his eyes at certain angles, a glare reflected off, reminiscent of nocturnal predators. His eyes were framed with thick, inky black lashes. The same blue-black hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. A few wisps of hair fell loose to frame his tanned face.

  His mouth was lined with thin but shapely lips. She knew his canines were elongated, like all his species. It wasn’t noticeable unless they grinned or bared their teeth. Like the others of his kind, a crease of skin ran parallel his jawline across his cheek. This cheek crease and the presence of the light-reflecting membrane in his eyes were the most obvious facial indicators that he was not human. Unlike the guard that attacked her though, the skin forming the crease laid flat against his face rather than sag with excess fat. It highlighted his high cheekbones and chiseled jawline, which was completely free of facial hair—a ruggedly handsome specimen by any standards, despite not being human.

  Even crumpled against the wall, Ashe could tell he was tall. He was at least a few inches taller than the guard who had grabbed her, and she had barely reached the guard’s armpit. He wore a black tank that showcased his broad, well-built shoulders and thick biceps. His hands barely showed at his side due to the short chain that manacled his wrists behind his back, but what she did see were large and rough with faded scars, showing a li
fe of hard work.

  The most alien parts on his body were his feet. They were massive and beast-like. Instead of toes, each foot was tipped with four sharp claws. He wore the alien equivalent of heavy-duty combat boots, which opened at the front to show his claws. The soles were super thick so that his curved claws were raised above the ground when he stood. Like his wrists, metal cuffs wrapped around his ankles over his boots, the chain in between was just long enough for him to hobble.

  How he managed to direct his momentum to avoid barreling into her while manacled and hobbled was beyond her, but she was grateful he did. The guy was massive, and Ashe doubted she would survive being crushed under his weight.

  The dinner bell pierced the din of the cargo hold, interrupting her visual exploration of the new alien prisoner. The first time food was handed out, Ashe had gone for the food first and hadn’t managed to grab any of the packaged water. She’d spent the time until the next meal parched, her tongue dry and rough as sandpaper. She learned her lesson well.

  Pushing through the throng of people, she grabbed several packages of water and a portion of something that looked like flat hard bread. Being smaller than the men, she usually failed to nab any of the meat portions. Taking a quick look over at mister buff alien, she stuffed another portion of food into her shirt and headed towards him.

  Ashe hesitated a moment, unsure about helping a criminal with a bounty on his head. When he was first shoved into the cage with them, a few of the men in the hold had wanted to waste him, if only because he was the same alien race as their captors. But the captain had made it plenty clear that if his special prisoner met his end by human hands, all the human males in the hold would find themselves castrated regardless of who made the kill. The men lost interest rather quickly.

  Ashe bit her bottom lip as she contemplated what she was about to do. The alien was intimidating, but so was a life as a slave, and that was all that was waiting for her at the end of this journey. She looked around at her fellow unlucky earthlings. There were only a few types in the hold. Many of the men were big, tough-looking men wearing prison uniforms. Some were not so big or tough but wore orange all the same. It seemed like their Tallean captors raided a penitentiary and rounded up the men most suited for hard labor.

  While the women came in all different skin tones and sizes, they were all attractive. She didn’t kid herself what the young women in the hold would be forced to do. The guard’s interest in her body was proof enough.

  At first, Ashe had been terrified. But the time for tears and hysterics passed days ago. She had read once that the flight or fight response only lasted so long before fizzling out into oblivion. She understood that now. She felt strangely calm. She just wanted out.

  Ashe wanted off this boat—er, ship—and gut instinct told her that this alien was her ticket out. He was, after all, in the cage with them and was, therefore, in the same boat, at least for now. It felt awkward for her to approach him, but she had nothing to lose. She cleared her throat, hoping that his translator was up to date with Earth’s languages.

  “How’s your head?” Her voice sounded out of place, and a few fellow prisoners stared strangely at her. She ignored them.

  He looked up at her, holding her gaze with his emerald stare. He eyed her appraisingly, perhaps because she was the first in the holding cell to approach him.

  “Probably not much worse than your cheek.”

  Ashe put her fingers to the bruise on her left cheek where the guard had hit her. She must look and smell a mess. There were no showers in the holding pen. There was, however, a partitioned area for natural functions and limited running water. She had used her t-shirt to sponge off the crucial areas. Her hair was a hopelessly tangled mess, and she was pretty sure there were bags under her eyes. And now she was black and blue too.

  “Are you hungry? I didn’t manage to get the good stuff. Tastes like shit, but fills you up. And water’s pretty crucial too. You don’t want to drink what comes out of the tap.” She held a piece of food up to him, arms extended as far as possible to keep her body at a distance, ready to bound away should he decide to pounce on her.

  “Why don’t you come a little closer? I don’t bite.” There was a twinkle in his eye, and a corner of his mouth lifted in a teasing smirk.

  “I don’t think so, buddy!” He was massive and strong and a criminal to boot. She wanted his help blowing this joint, but she wanted to get a feel for him first. If he decided to take advantage of her, she would be screwed. Ashe doubted any of the men in the hold would jump to her rescue. In fact, the less morally inclined men in the next cage over had assaulted some of the women on the first day. None of the other men had helped the victims.

  Ashe had kept herself safe by staying quiet and drawing little attention to herself. It had worked until the big alien was practically thrown on top of her.

  “I guess if I’m going to be hand-fed by an exotic beauty like you, I might as well enjoy myself regardless of how far away you intend to stand.” He leaned casually back against the bars.

  Ashe rolled her eyes as she ripped the corner off the bagged water and took a sip for herself. Setting her water to rest upright against her crossed leg, she did the same for his drink and held it to his lips and gave it a soft squeeze to get the liquid to his lips. Next, she held the stale bread-like substance to his mouth.

  “So, does the exotic beauty have a name?”

  Ashe scoffed at his continued referral to herself as an exotic beauty but answered his question anyway. “Ashley. But you can call me Ashe.” Her full name always reminded her of her ex-fiancé. Mike always insisted on calling her “Ashley baby,” and it was all fine and dandy until he walked out on her with her best friend five days before the wedding. “And I’m going to venture that you are Zeylum.”

  He tilted his chin down slightly, which Ashe recognized as the alien equivalent of a nod. “My friends call me Zey, and you can too. You seem the type I would get on a nickname basis with.”

  The man was a shameless flirt, and in such a grim situation to boot. She knew better than to be interested, but her body did what it wanted. Ashe tried to ignore the innuendo, but couldn’t stop a small tingle from starting in her belly. She changed the topic.

  “The captain’s after you for a bounty, right? What they got you pinned for?”

  “This and that. I’m a part of a mercenary crew, and we get paid to take on dangerous missions. Recently, it’s been mostly smuggling goods. My crew specializes in getting things where they need to go. People, weapons, medicine, you name it.”

  Well, that’s got to be better than rape and mass murder, Ashe decided.

  “The captain called your ship a pirate vessel.”

  He shrugged noncommittally. “Brings in a good profit.”

  “So, your crew, they going to come after you?” Might as well dig for info while he was feeling conversational.

  He shrugged again. Wanting to keep him talking, she tried again.

  “Any idea where we’re heading, and how long before we get there?”

  “We’re at the edge of Dominion space. I believe your planet is just out off from their newly acquired territory, and they are on their way to supply the freshly instated government-friendly monarchs with slaves and workers.”

  He paused as if debating whether to continue. “I’m going to be honest. The outer edge of Dominion space is a wild zone, mostly lawless. Most living here are rough males with blood on their hands. Criminals. Even those working for the Dominion. In fact, those are probably the worst of the lot. Females are few and far between.” He paused to study her face, and Ashe felt heat rise to her cheeks. “A pretty little thing like you…” He trailed off.

  “Yeah, I figured as much already. If the officers aboard this ship are any indication, either I’ll become some toy for a rich sadistic asshole, or I’ll be dumped in a whorehouse somewhere. Seems like assholes are the same the universe over.”

  She paused to pour som
e water in his mouth and thought back to the news reports she had watched on Earth. The group of humans on this ship weren’t the first taken from Earth. Until recently, the aliens only targeted prisons and brothels. Like everyone else, she had been so sure it wouldn’t happen to her. But here she was.

  “The Dominion considers the males replaceable, dispensable. They are meant for the mines and manual labor, and they prefer them strong. But the females need to be healthy, fit and pretty to bring in good profits.”

  To avoid thinking of her possible future in too much detail, she turned the focus back to the alien. “What will happen to you?”

  “Ulrek will bring me back to the inner territories to claim his prize. A well-known smuggler such as myself won’t get a trial.”

  “Shit, that sucks.” Ashe got to the meat of the discussion. “Do you think there’s a way out of here?”

  “Who knows? Ulrek is as corrupt as they come and will probably make a few stops while in the outer territories to line his pockets. Every delay is an opportunity.” His eyes lighted as he spoke, and Ashe couldn’t help but be reminded of how attractive she found him.

  The lights in the cargo hold dimmed, signaling the start of the simulated night cycle. Ashe quickly fed him the rest of the stale bread and water. She felt the programmed drop in temperature and rubbed her arms as she settled down for another rough night. The alien ship was kept slightly too cool for human bodies at night, and she usually woke up shivering on the hard metal floor of the cage.

  “You can curl up next to me if you are cold, gorgeous. I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself. Not that I have much choice in the matter.” He rattled the chain of his manacles. All this technology for space travel, but they still used good old-fashioned metal cuffs, she mused.

  “Yeah, no thanks,” she quipped but gave him a wink. Now, what possessed her to do that? But the image of the large alien pressed up against her, warming her, was already seeded in her mind, and her body reacted to the idea against her better judgment. She sighed to herself. It was going to be a long night.