Page 23 of Snowed in with my Alien Boss

Then the human male stopped, noticing the tense situation. He stood taller, ready to back Ckarus up. Josh was one of the biggest human males Ckarus had met, and he’d trained with Tallean warriors for the past few years. He was good to have in a fight, but Ckarus doubted he’d need him to deal with this pathetic excuse for a male.

The female gasped, and her eyes went round as she recognized Josh as a human like herself. Free humans were getting more common in the outer planets but were still rare here on New Rhea.

Ckarus turned back to his adversary, who gave him an incredulous look.

“It doesn’t matter what she says. She’s mine. I paid for her.” The idiot reached for her again, this time catching her arm.

The female hissed and fought back.

Ckarus smiled maliciously, glad he didn’t need to be diplomatic anymore. Attacking a female was enough reason for him. He balled his hands up into a fist and sent it at the male’s face.

The female pulled away, and Ckarus took her by the shoulders and handed her to Josh; his friend would keep her safe during the fight. Ckarus lightly brushed his fingers over the female’s cheek, where a bruise was starting to show. “Stay. Do not run. I will protect you.”

Then, he turned to face his opponent.

Jenny stood there, not knowing what to do as the two aliens fought. It wasn’t a fair fight, not really. The guy who had just tried to rape her had pulled a knife on the stranger, but the bigger male had flung it to the ground in less than a second. The big, burly one was clearly the better fighter, even though he was as drunk as a skunk.

Jenny had been on New Rhea for two years now. Her old owner had gotten sick of her and put her back up on auction. That was how she’d ended up here.

She’d run the moment her new owner tried to get his money’s worth. He hadn’t even waited to bring her home, but had tried to get into her pants inside the self-driving transport. Unlike her old owner, who she’d tolerated simply because the other choices were worse, this asshole was a sadistic prick, knocking her around to get into the mood. Everything in her being had told her to run for her life.

Panicked, she’d managed to unlock the door and tumble out of the moving vehicle; she’d left some skin on the road, but that hadn’t stopped her from running. She’d kept on running until she’d bumped right into Tall, Drunk, and Punchy.

Even clearly under the influence, the tough-looking Tallean male had no difficulty showing her new owner who was boss. He hadn’t even needed to use those sharp claws on his feet, pull the blaster from his hip, or go into bloodlust—a state which gave these aliens extra strength and quicker reactions during a fight.

A few punches later, the entitled prick who’d bought her was slumped on the ground.

“What happened to keeping a low profile?” asked her champion’s human servant.

No, not a servant. This man was huge and had weapons of his own strapped to his side: a knife and an alien blaster. This was Tall, Drunk, and Punchy’s friend.

Jenny had heard of human mercenaries being spotted in the area before but had thought it was wishful thinking on the part of desperate slaves. The idea of free humans holding their own gave displaced Earthlings much hope.

Instead of answering, Tall, Drunk, and Punchy turned to her, leaned in, and sniffed. “What is your name?” he asked, stepping in close.

“Jenny.” She inched over to the human man.

“I’m Ckarus.” He held out a hand for a handshake.

It was a very human gesture, and for a moment, Jenny just stared at it confused. It had been years since she’d shaken anyone’s hand and just as long since she’d been talked to, rather than talked at. She took the offered hand gingerly.

Instead of shaking it, Ckarus took her hand in his—they were huge next to hers—and pulled her into his body, hugging her. He was careful not to touch the side of her that had hit the road first. He didn’t let her hand go afterward, but his fingers were gentle and warm, so she didn’t pull away. She also hadn’t felt a gentle touch in a long time.

Ckarus tilted his head, indicating the human man. “This is Josh.”

“What the hell are we gonna do with her?” Josh asked, concern growing on his features. He looked at the alien crumpled on the ground. “And him?”

“Considering Jenny’s owner is clearly unable to care for her, we’ll just have to keep her instead.” Ckarus smiled wryly down at her.

He had the typical green eyes of his species, but his eyes were warm and welcoming, while her old owner’s had been cold and uncaring. And the idiot on the ground? His eyes had shone with malice.

Ckarus seemed a much better choice as an owner than that jackass. He’d protected her, and his touch was gentle. And this was him already drunk! Jenny hated being owned, but what choice did she have? “Keep me? Are you my new owner now?”

Ckarus made a face. “No!” Then, softer, “I do not keep slaves. But Reka 5 can handle more humans.”

Jenny’s eyes lit up. Every slave in the area knew of Reka 5. It was a colony made up predominately of escaped slaves—mostly Tallean, but in recent years, the human population there had grown.

“You’ll bring me to Reka 5?” she asked, her voice trembling. She could hardly believe her good fortune. There she would be free.

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