Alien Step-Brother

NOVA

He stood a head taller than me, two silver horns curving up from his forehead. They matched his smooth, silver scales and accentuated the white hair that fell in gentle waves to his shoulders. Red eyes gleamed as they watched me.

I pushed out of his arms as some semblance of my sanity returned. “I…I am so sorry. I didn’t expect hyperwarp to throw me like that.”

A flicker of movement caught my eye, and I swallowed again. A long tail snaked out behind him, swishing easily.

His now blue eyes raked over my flushed cheeks, and his nostrils flared. An effortless shrug followed. “I didn’t mind having my next meal throw herself into my arms. Makes the hunt easier.”

“Oh, stars.” I pressed my icy fingers into my overheated cheeks, blinking rapidly. A sharp and heavy surge twisted through the lowest pit of my stomach. If I didn’t do something quick, the ache would venture lower.

Panicked, I shoved my knees together. The heat expanded across my face.

The stranger’s eyes, suddenly a deep crimson, noted the action. His smirk widened, as if victorious over my little reactions, but he said nothing.

I’d never seen a Dragaken alien before. As far as I knew, they rarely left their home planet. But I guess even aliens could be tempted by a cruise.

As for who he was, I could hazard a guess. He wore the black finery of an intergalactic noble, and his wide shoulders and toned frame wore it well.

“I can’t be distracted by an attractive Dragaken man right now. I’m not here for a fling.” My hand slapped over my mouth.

I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“It’s a pleasure cruise, starlight. What else are you here for?” His eyes closed when he laughed. The sound of it was deep and gravely, like boulders rolling down the side of a cliff. When his lids opened, and his gaze ensnared me again, I melted into two pools of molten gold.

“I’m here for family, actually.” I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and pushed down the rising indignation. This woman invited me on a pleasure cruise, and Dad said nothing? That didn’t seem like him.

My gaze rose back to the Dragaken. The heat in my face flared. If he kept flirting with me, I’d wind up in his bed before the night was over.

He blinked, and his eyes stayed gold for several seconds. My torso shifted, and it was with a conscious effort that I had to stop myself from falling into his arms again.

I wasn’t crazy. They were changing colors.

“Gold,” I blurted.

The Dragaken straightened, and his eyes were once again glimmering rich red. “What did you say?”

“Your eyes. They were gold.” I inhaled and stole a step back. “How are you doing that?”

“Gold? That’s impossible.” An edge threaded through his voice. His hand rose over his cheek, and he spread his fingers over an eye, bringing my attention to the sharp, dark gray claws at the tips.

I shook my head and swiped a hand over my face. “Again, I’m sorry. I had one of those drinks when I arrived, and I think it was too much for me. I must be seeing things.”

His hand dropped, and his shoulders pulled back as he straightened up. “It’s all right. My eyes change colors to match my mood. Red makes sense given the circumstances.”

“Circumstances?” I squeaked, shrinking nervously into myself.

“A tasty little morsel of human sweetmeat just landed in my lap, and I was going to invite her for a drink.” Amusement and arousal glimmered in his eyes as they shifted between green and red.

I forced a reply off my dry tongue. “I think I’ve had enough to drink, honestly.” Venting a sharp exhale, I tugged my hand through the long black tresses of my hair.

“Fair enough.” The tip of his tail flicked, almost agitated, like a rejected cat.

I cleared my throat, hoping the heat in my cheeks would dissipate. “Besides, I don’t even know your name. Perhaps I should buy you a drink since you saved me from falling flat on my face.”

“How about a rain check on that favor, and I’ll cash it in for something a little more…pleasurable at a later date?”

Stars, he was laying it on thick. But I loved it; my body was flaring up like the sun in his presence, which was surely because of my long-dead past romances.

Some had fizzled, some had never been serious to begin with, and all left me with yet another layer of ache and loneliness that I’d been collecting since childhood.

Would this beautiful Dragaken do the same?

Despite the horns and claws, the thought of jumping into bed with the alien appealed to me. Maybe it was the booze already flooding my system, or maybe it was the attractive sharp angles of his face reeling me in.

He was right. This was a pleasure cruise.

And I’d told myself I would enjoy everything this interstellar vacation had to offer. Plus, it would really stick it to Dad, not that I’d be jumping to tell him. It would be my private victory.

My lashes fluttered, and a breathy sigh breached my lips. “And who am I going to owe this favor to, stranger?”

His full lips split into a wide grin, revealing straight teeth and slightly overgrown canines. They looked like fangs—sharp, glistening, and full of venomous promise.

He leaned closer, shifting eyes dropping to my lips. His finger caught a stray strand of my hair, and the tip of his claw grazed my cheek when he wound it around his digit.

“You can call me Alek, starlight.” The salacious notes in his voice swept through me.

My breath hitched, and my heart thumped painfully within the cage of my ribs as his head dipped and the gap between our faces shrunk. The warmth of his breath skimmed over my lips, causing mine to quiver.

Is he going to kiss me right now? Am I going to let him?

“And I’m Nova…Nova Ramos.” A warm shudder rolled down my spine and pooled in my belly as liquid heat.

Alek’s sharp exhale breached his lips. In the next second, he pulled back and dropped his hand from my hair, recoiling as if stung.

My mouth nearly followed. A small, buzzed voice in the back of my mind whispered that it wasn’t fair of him to lure me in like that without following through.

Shades of black and brown converged on his eyes, but the red undertone remained. His dark brows arched into his forehead, and the corner of his lips fell in something akin to a grimace.

I subtly sniffed the air between us, worried that I smelled bad.

Alek’s hand splayed over his chest as he stepped back. The quickly flashing emotions on his face matched the unsteady, roiling colors in his eyes. His throat bobbed when he swallowed nervously.

“Did you say Ramos?”

“Um, yes?” My features scrunched, and some of the alcohol in my head cleared away.

“And you said you’re here for family?” Alek clarified, putting more distance between us.

“Yeah, my dad got remarried, and I’m going to meet his new wife. Why does that matter?”

I didn’t stink, so what was his problem?

Alek swiped his dangerously clawed hand over his mouth, and his eyes darted to the vast expanse of warping space outside the ship. The ethereal light from hyperwarp reflected in his tumultuous stare.

“Is your father Hector Ramos by any chance?”

The blood under my skin turned into shards of ice, and goosebumps pricked my flesh. “He is. Why?”

Alek’s nose flared with his inhale, and his lips pressed into a thin line. Slowly, he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Then I suppose I should be the first to welcome you to the family, Ms. Ramos.”

A wave of shock punched me in the gut, and an audible gasp flew from my lips. “Excuse me?”

He locked his hands behind his back, pulling down a severe, emotionless mask. When he faced me again, his eyes were vacant and void of all color. “Your father was recently bound to my mother, Ms. Ramos. I’m your new stepbrother, Alekkon Velorum.”