Dovis Read online

  “Tell that to Marrow. I tried but she is convinced otherwise. She won’t touch me and hasn’t since Cathian mated. I miss sex so much, it’s depressing.”

  “The Teki women didn’t do it for you on this station?” Dovis grinned.

  “I could get past the tentacles but the two mouths freaked me out. Which one are you supposed to kiss?”

  “You kiss brothel workers?” Dovis snorted a laugh. “Brave.”

  “I can’t get hard without kissing.”

  “I didn’t know that about the Parri.”

  “At least we don’t go into heat. That’s a plus. The Yang have razor-sharp teeth, so that station was out. I wanted to keep my tongue. Hermios only fuck underwater, and I’d drown. The Bing disturbed me. I refuse to engage in a fist fight and have to violently pin down a woman just to get her in the mood. Not to mention, they bite and use their claws because it’s hotter for them if males are bleeding. The Glaxion women looked at me like a test subject they wanted to study. It made me too nervous to consider getting naked with one. I haven’t gotten laid since Marrow visited my cabin before the captain went into heat. What about you?”

  “I did a Bing.”

  His friend’s mouth dropped open, his eyes wide.

  Dovis shrugged. “I enjoy an aggressive romp. And as for the biting part, I just bend them over to keep their mouths away from me.”

  “We were at that station months ago.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “Do you go into heat?”

  “Not like Cathian. I handle it myself. I don’t need a female to get me through it.”

  York grinned. “Are you that flexible? Impressive.”

  “Fuck you.” Dovis laughed though. “I use my hands. A few days of jacking off does the trick, and I’m not forced to be stuck with a female forever. It’s a reasonable solution.”

  “What do you mean, stuck forever?”

  “My kind permanently bond to a female while in heat. It’s a done deal if my sperm enters one. I keep my dick far from females during that time.”

  “Damn.”

  “It is what it is.”

  “I hope this mechanic is hot and tall. Large breasts would be nice. I like Nara but she’s too small for me. She swears a lot of humans are bigger than her. I want one of those, but they’re very rare out in space. I can’t believe Cathian even found one.” York smiled. “And I hope she likes the color blue.”

  “The captain didn’t find her. She was found for him. Anyway, good luck with that.”

  “You’re not going to compete with me if she’s attractive?”

  “Hell no. Humans are brash, outspoken, and annoying. I’ll pass. She’s yours if you want to stick your dick in her.”

  “Crude.”

  “I’m just being honest.”

  The computer dinged.

  Dovis walked over to the wall. “What is it?”

  “Captain Cathian wishes to depart. You are to report to the bridge.”

  “Tell him I’ll be there in five. I need to take a fast shower.”

  “Transferring the message,” the computer replied.

  Dovis spun, heading to the doors. “See you later.”

  “Why does he always make you go to the bridge?”

  “In case of attack. Sometimes ships try to follow us. I get to blow shit up in that event. No way am I missing that.”

  York chuckled. “I call dibs on the human then.”

  “Have at it—and good luck.”

  Chapter Two

  Mari wiggled her hips and reached in front of her, dug her fingers into the crevice, and used her bare toes to push forward. Layers of dirt covered her baggy clothes, the material she wore acting like a dust cloth. It was cramped in the air vent but she just fit.

  An intake grate came up on her left. She twisted to her side and reached for the can attached to the side of her pant leg. The spray foamed over the metal, eating at the dirty gunk that had accumulated.

  Once she finished cleaning all the vents, the air quality on the ship would improve. It would smell better too. This was one of the chores Dovis had probably refused to do since, according to the maintenance logs, the cleaning schedule had lapsed for a few months.

  She watched as the foam melted, revealing gleaming metal minus the gunk. Only a hundred and twenty-three more to go. She clipped the can back onto her leg, flattened to her belly, and crawled forward.

  A quick glance at her watch told her she had four more hours before her first official shift started on her new job. Nervous energy had kept her from sleeping. It might impress her new boss that she’d used her free time to clean, or it might piss him off. She was willing to risk it.

  She made it to the next intake grate and sprayed it down. Once the foam cleared, she stared out into an empty hallway on the second deck. No one seemed to be up yet. The Pods were the only crew she’d seen on the ship so far.

  Mari used her toes to push forward as she wiggled down the vent. The auto light strapped to her head turned on when the next section had no grates to allow her any illumination.

  Maybe Dovis wasn’t a small alien and couldn’t perform the task. Even the Pods would have been hard-pressed to fit. They might be short but they were pretty round. She squirmed some more, grabbed wall seams, and pulled forward until her auto light clicked off when another grate appeared ahead.

  The vent widened a bit, and the grate was larger than the rest. She was able to rise to her knees and crawl toward it. Not as much gunk layered the metal bars. She inched closer to peer out into what appeared to be a crew gym. Weights and exercise machines were set up, along with a big area with padding. She sat on her butt, removed the can, and sprayed.

  Just as she attached the can to her thigh, a noisy hiss sounded.

  Mari froze.

  “Fuck,” a deep male voice snarled, the sound followed by a loud boom.

  The foam melted and Mari instantly wiggled backward away from the large grate. An alien had entered the gym. He was tall, wide chested, and very furry. Two pointed ears stuck up from the sides of his head near the top. His mouth and nose were pushed outward, forming a small muzzle. Sharp teeth flashed as he snarled again and stormed toward the weights in the far corner.

  He reminded her of an alien she’d once seen during a repair. Another big furry beast with sharp teeth. The doors to a vessel had opened and a small, hairless animal had rushed out on four legs. The much larger beast had captured it. She’d watched, horrified, as it ate the much smaller one in a few large bites of blood and gore.

  Fear swamped her. Was one of the crew members an alien eater? Would he view her as food?

  Her gaze lowered to his big hands. They were covered in fur on the back and as he gripped a weighted bar, she spotted thick, sharp claws. A chill ran down her spine and Mari inched deeper into the vent, not wanting to draw his attention. He looked tall enough to reach the grate near the ceiling and just rip her out.

  More snarls tore from him as he pumped the weights up and down in his arms. His back was massive and as furry as his front, a light brown shade. He wore pants and boots but no shirt. His form was like a human male—if humans were born with fur. He possessed two legs and arms, but she didn’t spot a tail. The other beast she’d seen had one, and it hadn’t worn pants, either.

  She was afraid to move. The vents tended to creak from her weight as she crawled in them. What if he heard her and attacked? She didn’t want to become like that hairless animal, and find herself devoured. Of course, she was bigger. It would probably take him thirty or so bites to eat her for a meal.

  Another shudder ran down her spine, along with more fear at those horrible thoughts. Had she been sold to a ship with a dangerous crew?

  The door to the gym opened again and a human woman walked in. “Do you ever sleep, Dovis?”

  The big beast of a male snarled.

  “Who pissed you off this early in the morning cycle?”

  He turned, his dark eyes gleaming with scary intent. Mari tensed, h