Page 23 of Her Alien Guardian

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks at his use of the endearment ‘little one.’ It stirred something within me, a longing I didn’t quite understand.

“But… won’t the ship need its captain?” I asked, genuinely curious.

Alpha’s lips curved into a smile. “ThePrince Hendis quite capable of managing without me for a short time. My first officer, Mero, will be in command during our absence. I want to see my brother.”

I blinked at him, then looked over at Sala, my eyes wide.

“Your brother?” I whispered.

CHAPTER 13

Gamma

I awoke to the soft chime of my handheld, alerting me that thePrince Hendhad entered high orbit around Prosperia. Blinking away the last vestiges of sleep, I reached for the device and scanned its surface.

As I read the message from Alpha, inviting me to see through his eyes, I felt a surge of anticipation. It had been some time since I had last connected with my brother in this way, and I was eager to see what was transpiring on thePrince Hend.

Closing my eyes, I allowed my consciousness to drift, reaching out across the vast distances of space to connect with Alpha’s mind. Slowly, his surroundings came into focus, as if I were opening my own eyes to a new scene.

I took in the opulence of Alpha’s quarters, the room bathed in soft, ambient light that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. My gaze, through Alpha’s eyes, went to the massive bed that dominated the space. There, nestled among silken sheets, I saw two women—one familiar, one new.

Sala, Alpha’s wife, sat up in the bed, the sheets pooled around her waist, leaving her breasts bare. Her long black hair looked tousled from sleep, and her blue eyes shone with warmth as she looked at the woman beside her.

She, the other woman, captured my attention and held it. Small and delicate, with long, dark hair that tumbled over her shoulders in wild waves. Her skin was pale, almost luminescent in the soft light of the cabin. But her eyes struck me even harder—large and green, seeming to hold their own cosmos of emotions within their depths.

I watched through Alpha’s eyes, as the young woman—Tessara, I realized from Alpha’s thoughts—asked about me. “Your brother?” she whispered, her voice soft and tinged with curiosity.

And then, she blushed.

The sight of that rosy flush spreading across her cheeks hit me like a physical blow. I felt a jolt of… something… course through me. As a breakout entity from the omniscient Collective, I wasn’t inclined to pronounce anything the most remarkable thing ever to happen to me. I worried, too, that I was fooling myself, that it didn’t have anything to do with Tessara. But I also had the clarity of memory necessary to feel certain I had never experienced this sensation before—not in all my years of exploring the galaxy and indulging in its pleasures.

The pink tinge that colored Tessara’s cheeks seemed to awaken something primal within me. It spoke of innocence, of vulnerability, but also of a deep, untapped passion. I found myself captivated by the play of emotions across her face—curiosity, shyness, and perhaps a hint of excitement.

Through Alpha’s eyes, I saw every detail of her reaction. The way her teeth worried at her lower lip, the slight widening of her eyes, the almost imperceptible quickening of her breath. Each tiny movement, each subtle change in her expression, seemed to resonate within me, stirring feelings I had thought long dormant.

I think…For the first time in a very long time, I didn’t have instant access to my human brain’s workings. It took a moment; 3.67 standard seconds, to be exact, for the thought to arrive.

I think I need to help her figure out what she wants. I think I need to take care of her—for a while, anyway.

Tessara

I watched Alpha and Sala share a look full of something I couldn’t make out. I studied their faces, sensing an unspoken conversation passing between them. Their shared glance lasted only a moment, but it felt charged with meaning. A knot of anxiety formed in my stomach as I realized they were keeping something from me.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”

Sala’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink as she turned to me. She bit her lip, seeming to wrestle with herself for a moment before speaking. “Well, Tessara… the truth is, Gamma hasn’t just come to Prosperia on business. He’s come here to meet you.”

My breath caught in my throat as I processed her words. Gamma, Alpha’s brother, had come all this way… for me? A whirlwind of emotions swept through me—embarrassment at being the center of such attention, excitement at the prospect of meeting this mysterious man, and a startling jolt of arousal that made my cheeks burn.

“Me?” I squeaked, my voice sounding small and breathless even to my own ears. “But why? I’m nobody special.”

Alpha’s deep chuckle rumbled through the room. “On the contrary, little one. You are quite special indeed.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine, and I felt my nipples tighten in response. I clasped my hands in my lap, trying to hide my body’s reaction.

“Is he…” I began, then paused, unsure how to phrase my question. Taking a deep breath, I tried again, my voice dropping to a hushed whisper. “Is Gamma like you, Alpha?”

Sala’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she answered. “Oh, yes, Tessara. Gamma is almost exactly like Alpha ineveryway.” She emphasized the word ‘every’ in a way that left little doubt as to her meaning.