Page 6 of Stardust Paws and Alien Claws

Or one person and a massive minotaur man.

Heat crept into my cheeks as I re-emerged. “It’s, um, very nice.”

“The sleeping quarters are meant for two,” he stated bluntly. “To maintain our...facade.”

A flutter of nerves danced in my belly as reality sank in. I would be sharing this decadent space with Doanor, at least for appearances’ sake. Sleeping in the same bed as this imposing alien male, his powerful body mere inches away...

“I will be resting in the study, of course,” Doanor announced.

Oh. Of course.

An awkward silence stretched between us, the unspoken tension crackling like a live wire. Doanor shifted his weight from foot to foot, his tail lashing behind him. I found myself mesmerized by the tiny movements, hyper-aware of every twitch and flex of his muscular frame.

This was ridiculous. I was a professional. I could handle some undercover role-playing with a handsome alien captain, even if he did make me feel more than a bit flustered.

Straightening my shoulders, I met Doanor’s intense gaze head-on. “Well, I suppose I should get settled in then. What else do I need to know about?”

Doanor cleared his throat, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder. “The Lazamai have been secured in a hidden cargo bay, left over from the Koloss’s smuggling days. I’ll show you once we’re underway.”

A thrill ran through me at the prospect of seeing those elusive creatures up close. “What other cargo are we hauling?” I asked, trying to appear nonchalant despite my burning curiosity. “What does your crew think is the cargo?”

Doanor’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Nothing too exciting, I’m afraid. A shipment of Alaari ore for a mining consortium and some Xendryl tech components.” He waved a large hand dismissively. “But enough about that. Let me give you a tour.”

He led me out into the main corridor, the overhead lights casting stark shadows across the angular planes of his face. My gaze traced the sharp curve of his jaw, the slight flare of his nostrils as he breathed. Up close, I could make out faint scars criss-crossing his muscular frame – mementos of battles long past, no doubt.

The corridor branched off in several directions, each section marked with alien glyphs. Doanor gestured to our right. “That wing contains the crew quarters and mess hall. The opposite side leads to engineering and the cargo bays.”

As if on cue, a towering figure emerged from a side passage. Zylith, the rocky-skinned Novalian crewmate, nodded gruffly at Doanor before turning to me. His obsidian eyes glinted with fleeting curiosity.

“Everything’s stowed and ready for departure,” Zylith rumbled, his voice like gravel crunching underfoot.

“Excellent.” Doanor tapped his commbadge. “Jharra, Jhessi, prepare for launch sequence.”

A pair of high-pitched trills answered in the affirmative. Clearly those were the diminutive siblings who manned the helm. I couldn’t wait to meet the rest of this motley crew.

“You should see this,” Doanor said, gesturing for me to follow.

We made our way to the bridge, the corridor sloping gently upwards. My heart raced with a strange blend of trepidation and exhilaration. This was it – my first real journey among the stars.

The bridge opened up before us, a wide expanse of gleaming panels and flickering holoscreens. The viewports curved in a broad arc, revealing a panoramic vista of the bustling space station beyond. Docking arms and gravitic moorings tethered other vessels of every conceivable shape and size.

Jharra and Jhessi whirled in their seats, flashing me toothy grins that crinkled their obsidian eyes. Despite their childlike stature, their three-fingered hands flew across the controls with practiced ease.

“Engines at full capacity,” one of them piped up, the translator rendering their chirps into a musical lilt. “Awaiting your command, Captain.”

Doanor crossed to the central console, his massive frame radiating an aura of assured command. “Release all moorings. Take us out on vector Kalith-7.”

The deck trembled beneath my feet as the Koloss’s powerful engines thrummed to life. Gradually, the docking clamps retracted, and our ship drifted free of the station’s embrace.

I gripped the back of a chair for balance as we banked sharply, the inertial dampeners straining to compensate. Doanor glanced back at me, a ghost of a smirk playing across his features.

Before I could react, another jolt sent me stumbling forward. Sturdy arms encircled my waist, drawing me flush against Doanor’s powerfully muscled chest. His warm, leathery skin brushed my cheek as his musky, earthy scent enveloped me.

For a suspended heartbeat, the universe shrank to this singular point of contact. My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out the cacophony of the bridge. Heat blossomed across my face and traveled downward, awakening a molten ache low in my belly.

Then, just as abruptly, Doanor steadied me and stepped back, his expression inscrutable once more. “You’ll want to be careful,” he said softly, not meeting my eyes.

I nodded mutely, still reeling from the lingering imprint of his touch. Get it together, Cassidy. You’re here as a professional...who just happens to be pretending to date an impossibly virile alien captain.

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