Rykhan (Book 1 of Mate Search Series) (10 page)

Wyst moved to stand beside him and took the
initiative to answer for him. “I believe my brother has already
found what he came to find.”

Leah’s lips again parted and her eyes widened
at Wyst’s words. Along with her surprised look, Rykhan detected a
change in her scent, a muddling that signaled the first stirring of
caution at the other warrior’s words. “I believe what Wyst meant
was that I no longer find this event suitable for me and my
search.”

Glancing between the two men, Rykhan’s female
seemed to brush aside whatever had made her wary. “Hi, West. I’m
Leah and this is my friend, Pam.”

“Interesting name,” Pam cooed, swirling the
remaining liquid in her glass while looking up at Wyst through her
heavily coated eyelashes. “And you say you’re brothers?”

“Brother in arms,” Wyst supplied. “As for my
name, it is spelled differently than the direction in which your
sun sets. W-Y-S-T.”

While their two companions continued
conversing, Rykhan and Leah remained as they had been since the
moment their eyes had locked. It was not until Sabrina, the female
hostess of the event came by and shook her small bell that caused
their eyes to disengage.

Rykhan’s gut twisted at the break of their
shared stare.

“C’mon folks, we still have round two,” Sabrina
called to the room at large before she turned and placed a long
talon-tipped finger to the middle of Rykhan’s chest. “And there are
several ladies that have specifically asked to meet you,
handsome!”

Leaning back as far as possible without
actually taking a step, Rykhan could not help his shudder of
revulsion at the woman’s touch, especially in front of his
predestined mate. “I am sorry but we will not be continuing this
evening.”

“You’re not staying for the second half?” The
small redhead’s demeanor went from sexy to sneering in half a
heartbeat at the news. “We don’t give refunds, you
know.”

“Nor did we ask for one,” Rykhan smoothly
replied as he turned to capture Leah’s hand, removing her wine
glass before he handed both it and his tumbler to the furious
Sabrina. “Would you take care of these for us? Thank you very
much.”

Wyst grabbed Pam’s drink and went to give them
to the redheaded hostess but the woman speared the other warrior
with a narrow-eyed glare and quickly marched away. Shrugging, Wyst
simply set the glasses on the floor by the wall before offering his
arm to the much smaller Pam. “Shall we?”

As the blonde-haired person looped her elbow
around his with a giggle, Rykhan’s hand unerringly found Leah’s and
he threaded his fingers through hers.

Rykhan did not think it was his
imagination when his
wahrom
firmly pulsed, growing even hotter with their
skin-to-skin contact. She disconnected their handclasp in order to
raise it to her own bicep to rub, shocking him to his core. He
sensed a flash of her bafflement along their link as she stroked
her arm. “Are you all right, Leah of Phoenix?”

“I-I think so. It’s just my arm got really hot
for a second,” she said, raising her eyes to his. “When you
t-touched me.”

As her hand fell away and he reached to gather
it in his own, Rykhan eyed the place where she had indicated the
perception of heat. When he saw the slightly pink outline that
marred her beautiful skin, he could not help his
stagger.

‘That’s not possible!’ his mind
roared, but he had seen it, seen the outline of his own
wahrom
on her flesh even
though the pink was fading fast. Almost as fast as the thoughts
swirling through his head. Overcome with the mere idea of his brand
on her beautiful, creamy flesh, he almost did not hear
her.

“Are you okay?” Her eyes squinted and a tiny
furrow appeared between her brows. “I mean, I get the feeling that
you’re in a state of shock about something.”

Praise
Tsiran
! He was sure she also had felt
his emotions along the link of their connection,! Too stunned to
speak, Rykhan squeezed her fingers in reply. Her touch seemed to
calm him and allow his hearts to slow their rapid
rhythm.

It was obvious she was unaware of what was
going on between them. He did not know the English words to
explain. Not the right words to help her realize that since their
birth, Rykhan and Leah had been destined to be together. He only
prayed given time, his Leah would find their preordained union as
exhilarating as he already did.

“Where do you want to go?” Her voice quiet as
they stepped into the warm September night, stopping on the
sidewalk just outside of the casino’s doors to join the other
couple who were chatting and laughing.

Turning in order to face her fully, Rykhan
spoke from his very soul, not caring who overheard. “Anywhere.
Everywhere. Just as long as I’m with you, Leah, I absolutely do not
care.”

A split-second before she stepped back,
twisting her wrist to pull her hand out of his, Rykhan again became
aware of the change in her emotions as well as her scent, at the
dark metallic tang of the trepidation, which was very evident on
her face.

He had spoken without thinking. Had talked much
too plainly, too early in the dance of human courtship and had made
her cautious, wary which was the complete opposite of what he had
hoped to achieve with his honest words.

“Well I, for one, am starved!” Pam announced,
with a handclap. Turning to Wyst, she propped a hand on one hip and
with a challenge in her voice, asked, “What are your thoughts on
double bacon cheeseburgers? Are you for or against
them?”

The other man shot Rykhan a look but even
Rykhan could not answer, having absolutely no idea what a
cheeseburger was. “For?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Pam’s voice
held the edge of laughter as she teased the brawny warrior whose
own face reflected delight at their play.

“Telling. I am telling you.” The deeply
grumbled reply came through smiling lips.

“All right, then. I say we hit it!” Pam
announced, grabbing Wyst’s arm. Looking over her shoulder at the
couple who stood side by side but were no longer touching, the
petite blonde-haired woman laughed outright. “Shake your
tail-feathers, folks! There’s grub that needs grabbing! I’ll
drive.” Pointing a finger at Wyst, she continued. “And you, you
hunka-hunk of burning love, get to ride shotgun.”

“I haven’t any idea of anything you just said,”
Wyst muttered, casting a wary glance in Rykhan’s direction before
stepping from the sidewalk to the asphalt. “But it sounds like
fun.”

“You betcha ass, ‘cause fun is my middle
name.”

“Wait!” Leah shout was breathy, causing all
three to stop in their tracks and turn to her. Rykhan liked the way
her cheeks reddened before she seized Pam’s arm to propel her
friend a few steps away. “I need to talk to Pam a
minute.”

Wyst moved closer to his fellow warrior as the
women moved closer to the doors. “What is the problem, do you
think? I thought we were leaving because the small, loud female was
hungry.”

“I believe she is nervous about leaving with
us,” Rykhan growled, his eyes glued to the beautiful, dark-haired
female.. For some reason, he was not yet ready to speak of his
connection to his beautiful Leah. “We are strangers and they have
been cautioned against strangers since they were
younglings.”

Wyst turned to glance at the women who seemed
to be engaged in an argument although it performed in whispers. “So
it’s true. Females are so plentiful on this world that they are not
valued and can be vulnerable to the darker natures of the human
males.” He turned back to Rykhan. “I did not believe it when I read
it.”

“Nor did I,” Rykhan replied, his eyes never
leaving her. “And as a Protector, the thought makes my blood
boil.”

“Okay, change in plans,” Pam announced as she
strode back to where the warriors stood. “This place has a couple
of restaurants so we’re all going to just hang here.”

“Hang?” Wyst’s voice held an incredulous note
that made the smaller woman giggle. “Wouldn’t sitting to consume a
meal be more comfortable?”

“Oh, buddy. You’ve got a lot to learn!” Pam
snagged the arm of Wyst’s jacket and stepped back towards the lobby
doors with a smile. “C’mon you two. Let’s eat!”

Immediately, Rykhan moved to Leah but was
careful not to crowd her. Her wariness reached him in subtle waves
and he did not want to alarm her further. He smiled and received
one in return which trembled the tiniest bit at the corners. He
reminded himself to behave more circumspectly around her even
though it chaffed at him to do so.

“Is your Pam always so…” Rykhan started but did
not know how to continue without saying something which might sound
derogatory.

“Effervescent? Enthused? Energetic?” Leah
supplied as they turned as one to follow the other couple back
inside. “Pretty much. I’ve known her since we were nine and she’s
always been a live wire.”

“That is a good description. A live electrical
wire. Yes, I can see that.” Rykhan did not want to talk about Pam.
In fact, if he had his way there would be no talking between them
because their lips would be used other purposes. Like those he had
viewed on Earth’s vids. However, it was too soon for that if a
simple, truthful declaration had caused her to act and feel so
guarded. A human couple walked towards them, aiming for the
elevators and the male’s hand settled low on his partner’s back,
guiding her in the right direction. Perhaps that movement was the
socially appropriate way the people of Earth touched early in their
pair bonding.

Rykhan let his eyes follow Pam and Wyst as they
continued to walk while laughing and teasing one another. He
brought his fingers to Leah’s back, feeling the roughness of her
glittery top. When she did not pull away, he took heart. Though he
was anxious to claim her as his own, he would allow her to set the
pace in a way that was most comfortable to her. It was through
their shared connection Rykhan knew he had made the right move at
the correct time.

“God! What a couple of slow-pokes!” Pam
announced from a pair of glass doors halfway down the hall. “Get a
move on, people!”

“She’s also pretty impatient,” Leah whispered
meeting his gaze. Her eyes were not brown as he had originally
thought but a beautiful deep, deep green.

He bit back his smile at her words but humor
laced his voice as he replied, “I can see that.”

There was a flurry of activity as the hostess
led them to a table encircled by one continuous seat in a shiny
sort of covering. The young human female handed them large
rectangles of plastic and advised them that their ‘waiter’ would be
with them shortly.

“What do you call this thing?” Wyst asked.
Their two female companions had sat in the middle, allowing Rykhan
and Wyst to commandeer the seating closer to the aisle.

“What thing?” Pam’s muffled came from behind
the large plastic she held close to her face.

Wyst sighed and Rykhan knew it was because in
spite of all their studies aboard the star-cruiser, the practical
application of their knowledge lagged. “This thing we are sitting
on.”

Both women lowered the red rectangles they held
and looked at him in confusion. “You mean the booth?” Pam’s blonde
eyebrows shot up and bewilderment marred Leah’s face. The sense of
confusion came through their link as well.

“Ah…a booth!” Rykhan exclaimed and received a
sharp glance from Wyst probably for his tone of voice. He only
hoped his friend and brother-warrior would go along with how Rykhan
intended to work their lack of knowledge. “It is called something
different on our wor…I mean, in our country. What is this called?”
He flapped the piece of flimsy plastic that contained both writing
and pictures.

“A menu?” Leah responded, her frown of
puzzlement somehow deeper than it had been.

Directing his grin at Rykhan, Wyst signaled his
agreement to the plan. “There are so many things we’ve read and
heard about but still so much is different for us.”

“Read about?” Pam’s voice squeaked which Rykhan
thought signaled her own bemusement at Wyst’s explanation. Luckily,
a young male approached them with glasses filled with ice and
liquid. After setting them down, he reached into a pocket of the
small black piece of fabric surrounding his waist and pulled out a
pad of paper and a pen. Both of the warriors had been surprised to
see that the people of Earth still used an antiquated mode of note
taking when they received the packet of papers at the speed-dating
event. From the looks of it, technology still lagged in a number of
areas on the small planet.

“Can I get you folks something to drink?” the
male asked on a bored, heavy exhale. Wyst appeared just as amazed
as Rykhan felt. Did not humans drink water? Therefore, why the
young male would automatically provide drinks and then ask if he
could deliver more was puzzling.

“Iced tea,” Leah replied without
hesitation.

“Lemonade for me,” Pam said.

Rykhan was unsure how to respond and that lack
of knowledge caused his voice to come out gruffer than he intended.
“This liquid is fine.”