Reader Abduction (Alien Abduction Book 7) (12 page)

W
aking beside his female
—
my mate
—proved pleasant. Especially since she welcomed his thrusts with soft moans of pleasure and came with his name on her lips.

Less pleasant was having his mother suddenly bark, “About time you took my call. Your damned ship wouldn’t let me contact you until you’d finished copulating with the female.”

Rolling over—which meant leaving the soft curve of Brigitte’s body—he glared at the view screen illuminated at the foot of his bed. “You weren’t supposed to be able to call me at all.”

“I hope this isn’t going to be a habit,” Brigitte squeaked as she did her best to hide her assets.

She didn’t need fear his mother saw too much. Intuitive as ever, even if she now spoke, Ju’el had made their air blanket blurry, thus hiding his nudity and Brigitte’s from his mother’s eye. Still, though, the last thing a male wanted after excellent coital action was for anyone to intrude.

His mother started her harangue. “That was quite the stunt you pulled at the auction. Stealing one of the prospective females.”

And he’d do it again. “I’m not bringing her back.” Time to set the rules of this discussion.

“You have to return. This is your home.”

“I won’t give her up.”

“I should hope not, given how much she cost the treasury.”

He blinked. “Explain.”

“I miscalculated on how long it would take you to come to your senses and kidnap her in a time-honored fashion.”

It took him a moment to digest his mother’s words. “You expected me to abduct her?”

A roll of her blue eyes indicated yes. “Any idiot could see you wanted the female. But of course, you’re stubborn, and had I said you should keep her, you would have done the opposite to spite me.”

Probably.

Brigitte snickered. “Your mom used reverse psychology on you. That’s funny.”

“She manipulated me into taking you,” he growled. Not that he regretted it.

“Yes, I did. You may thank me later, and by later, I mean today,” his mother said. “I will expect you at the palace before the second sun begins to set. We are having some ambassadors for dinner.” Sharp teeth glistened in a smile. “Not all of them will enjoy it.”

The screen blinked out, and Brigitte laughed. And laughed. While he glared. “This is not amusing. It seems there was no need to abduct you after all. My mother planned for me to mate you all along.”

Rolling on top of him, Bridgette cupped his face. “And that makes you angry?”

“No. But if I’d known, I would have kidnapped you sooner. Zus and Zor are going to be very rich warriors because of my mother and her scheming.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to go abduct some more readers for auction.”

“You would condone the stealing and selling of more of your kind?”

“Everyone should get a chance to snag a purple warrior.”

“So you think yourself lucky?”

“Very.”

“How lucky?”

She showed him, showed him how lucky he was to have traveled the universe in search of fame and credits, only to find something infinitely more precious. His Brigitte.

His princess. His future queen.

“
J
u’el
, where is my man?” Brigitte never tired of calling him that.

“Cargo room number four.”

What the heck is he doing there?

Brigitte located Phyr in the cargo room, currently full of boxes of her things. Her mate had taken them on a honeymoon trip back to Earth to fetch her belongings, as well as to snag a few more human brides.

As she entered, he peeked at her. “I am almost done.”

“Done doing what?” she asked. She noted he rummaged through a box of things. Not just things, her books. Her friends. The collection she’d amassed over years of reading.

“What are you doing?” she exclaimed as he grabbed a handful from a box and stuffed them in the incinerating chute.

“Have you gone blind? I am getting rid of these paper tomes.”

“But I love those books. Why would you do that?”

He turned from his task and regarded her with an arched brow. “You truly need to question my motive? Have you any concept of what lies within the pages?”

“Well, yeah. Romance.”

“Exactly. Romance and intimate acts perpetrated by another male.” He leaned forward and growled. “A male who is not me. I will not have it.”

Astonishment made her blink. “You’re burning them because you’re jealous?”

“A warrior such as I would never stoop to such a petty emotion. I am burning them because you have no need for stories. You have me.”

Indeed she did. This was one romance reader who’d found her happily ever after, and she might add, it was better than any freaking book. And didn’t require batteries.

Oh, and it was purple. Very purple and delicious.