1. Alex

CHAPTER 1

Alex

I sigh and push the strange bar over my head yet again. The hologram room has done a decent job of getting a human gym together but it still looks strange. The bar is glowing and the weights are shaped like an oval and iridescent, see-through.

But my muscles shake and groan. So obviously I'm actually working here even if it looks like some kind of weird disco with the lights.

I grunt and growl under my breath, trying to push thoughts of Varnak out of my mind.

The damn guy is fucking hot. But he's also an annoying, arrogant, obnoxious pain in the ass. He can't deal with me like I'm an equal. No, he has to deal with me like I'm some little woman that he has to take care of and I don't fucking like it. I'm a strong, independent female who can take care of myself and anyone else around me. I want to fight and be trusted to participate as an equal and he just doesn't seem to be able to let go of his own damn prejudices.

"Hey, Alex! I'm in your room, where are you?"

I grunt and holler, "computer, halt program! I'm in the holodeck, Lacey!"

"Oh, do you want me to come there?"

"No, I'm on my way back. I was almost done anyway." I stalk out of the door as it whooshes open. The new base that we've all been working on on the asteroid, Farth One, is coming together great. It's larger and easier to keep secure since it moves constantly. That means that sometimes the guys have to search for it, but so does everyone else.

It takes me only minutes to get to my room and the door whooshes open when I pass my palm over the security device. I have to admit that I like this part of the alien tech. I like knowing that there is something that keeps unknown people from coming in my room if I don't want them to.

If only humans had such things maybe some of the things that happen wouldn't.

By the way, I know that some places have palm readers and such. But these are even outfitted with some weird sensor that feels their intentions. Like it can read their minds. And if they have bad intentions, they don't get in. It's a game changer, I think.

If only all the girls out there could have one of those encoded into their dna, then maybe you could just touch your palm and you'd be able to immediately tell if some asshole didn't have the best of intentions.

Lacey's standing by my dining room table, smirking at a small green plant that's sitting there in a strange pot. I found it in one of the abandoned spaces here. This actually used to be a pirate base. Some of the place was undeveloped and that's the part that the Council decided to use for this base.

But the other side of the asteroid was a shitty mess of a barracks for pirates and in the middle of one of the rooms, barely surviving was this little monster of a plant. It's an ugly thing that's got a weird flower on it that's the same green as the plant. It was beat-up and it looked way out of place in this part of the world and for some reason, I felt a strange affinity for the damn thing even though I usually manage to kill off anything that I'm taking care of. I've got a black thumb that can and will kill everything in its path. For that reason, amongst many others, I want nothing to do with men. Or males as the case may be since these guys are what I'm left with now since I was kidnapped from Earth. Lord know, they aren't like human men in a lot of ways.

But in others? Yeah. Territorial, alpha and fierce as hell when it comes to their families. I've watched as Lacey got closer to Koehn and I'm amazed that he hasn't lifted his leg and peed on her like a damn dog.

As it is, every time one of the other males on the ship gets near her, he growls like a feral wolf and his lips curl up in a vicious snarl. She seems to find it funny.

I don't.

To me, this more than anything excludes me from ever getting involved with one of these guys. I'm not the kind of woman that's gonna sit back and let a guy get away with acting like he owns me. I'm not a possession. I'm a person. A living, sentient being with thoughts and feelings of my own. I can make my own decisions and I don't need some dickhead telling me what I should do.

Lacey reaches out a finger and touches the strange flower and it jerks back. Her brow crinkles. "That's odd."

My own eyebrows lift and I stare down at the thing. I've never seen it do that.

She puts her finger out again and touches the little plant and it does the same thing. Jerks back and a strange sound comes out of it.

Her amber eyes jump to mine. "What the hell is going on with your little plant, Alex? Are you sure that's what this is?"

"What else could it be?"

"I don't know," she mutters. "Did any of the guys get a look at it?"

"No. I brought it right to my quarters and it's been here ever since."

"I think you should have Gardon take a look at this."

I shake my head vehemently and she sighs. "We're on an alien base and some weird thing is here and you just take it home with you. Have you ever seen that movie Alien? Bad things happen. Really bad things. Take it to Gardon and have him take a look at it. Maybe he knows what it is and can tell you how to take better care of it. And if it's not a plant? Then he'll know that too and he can help you dispose of it."

"It's still a living thing, Lacey," I protest. "I don't want to hurt it."

"We are in space, Alex. You need to be careful. We don't know anything about this. And something that looks entirely safe may not be."

I sigh. "Okay. But I really don't think there's anything wrong with this plant. It's just a plant."

"It's a plant that growled at me. That's not normal for any kind of plant, Alex. Ask Koehn or Varnak. Ask somebody."

I glare at her when she mentions Varnak's name.

She holds her hand up and sighs. "I see we're still fighting with Varnak, huh? Are you guys ever gonna find a happy place together?"

I snort. "If he ever gets over the bullshit he spouts every damn time I turn around…maybe. But do I not actually think that that's gonna happen. The male that he is just can't admit that a woman can take care of herself or manage to fight for her own safety. He's a sexist alpha asshole."

Lacey grins. "But a sexy one."

"For god's sake, Lacey! I don't care what he looks like! He's an ass!" I do care what he looks like and so does my damn traitorous body. Every time I see him my heart rate explodes out of control and goosebumps break out all along my skin.

He's a beautiful man. Gorgeous even. But I'm not sure if it makes up for that damn terrible attitude of his and the male chauvinist way he acts.

She shoots me a skeptical look. Like she knows just what I'm saying silently.

"I really don't think that you're telling me the truth. But I'll let you get away with it for now. Have you managed to get any training sessions in with the guys on hand to hand combat?"

I snort again. "Hell no! I think they're all afraid of Varnak! And he won't fight me, the big baby!"

Lacey giggles, her golden-brown eyes sparkling wildly. "I cannot picture that guy as a baby! I mean…a seven foot baby?"

I huff out a breath. "Yeah, well, he acts like one, that's for sure. I've hollered at him, I've even begged him to either fight me himself or stop threatening every other male that wants to fight me and he just keeps snorting and walking off like I'm some kind of annoying gnat messing with him."

She waves her hands around in the air and giggles harder. "I think the man is afraid to put his hands on you for fear that something might happen."

"He's not a man. He's a damn alien. And what on earth do you think he thinks is going to happen? He can't possibly think that I would ever let him…."

Her brow lifts and she smirks at me. "Alex, the heat coming off of you two is…well, it's volcanic. It's like it's about to explode all over everyone around you two. I don't think you realize how strong it really is. And how much that guy is fighting it. I think you're his mate."

My face pales and I stare at her, appalled, my head feeling light, strange. "There is no way that I'm any alien male's mate! And if I was…it for sure wouldn't be such an arrogant asshole like Varnak!"

She pats me on the shoulder, her eyes soft and sympathetic. "Good luck with that, Alex. You keep telling yourself that if you need to."

I glare at her as she walks out the door, whistling. Dammit! I hate that she managed to get me all riled up over Varnak of all things!