Sweet Alien Savage (Zerconian Warriors Book 4) (13 page)

“But you can do that?” he asked.

“Yeah, I can.”

He stood. “Excellent then what are we waiting for?”

“Whoa, slow down.” She held her hand up. “We can’t just rush off.”

“Why not?”

“Because whoever is on duty will tell Aline and she might stop us before I get what we need.”

He sat. “I do not understand why she would stop us. Does she not want to know the truth?”

“I’m not sure. I understand her concern over security. She didn’t want your guy poking around in the mainframe because that’s where our sensitive documents are. She’d need to get permission from the council to allow you access.”

“But she knows you’re capable of tracing the location. So why not let you look?”

“She’s trying to protect me.”

“I do not understand. This puts you in danger?”

“The hacking I did previously was when I was a teenager. When I turned eighteen, those records were deleted. No one knows what I can really do except Aline and my parents. Aline worries the council will ask me to do things I’m not comfortable with if they understand the talents I have.”

“I do not want you in danger.”

“I won’t be. What danger can I be in if I have you by my side, big guy?”

“I will protect you. Always.”

Don’t let his words get to you.
But it was getting harder and harder to deny him. Her body had gone into overdrive. Every touch, every time she caught his scent, seemed to drive her body into a higher state of arousal.

“So to be on the safe side, we need to wait until everyone goes off-duty. Midnight to five no one mans the mainframe station. We’ll go then.”

“You could provide us with access then allow Torex to trace the signal.”

“No. He’s not allowed out of his quarters, remember? That would just create a whole other set of problems. I’ll do it. I think Aline would be twice as mad if I let one of your men have access.”

“All right. But if Aline becomes angry with you I will not allow her to yell or berate you. I will take the blame. Here. Eat.”

He handed her the plate loaded down with food.

“I can’t eat all this.”

“You do not eat enough.”

“I know I’m thin. But honestly, I could eat all day and never put on weight. It’s a curse.”

“You skipped breakfast and ate some fruit for lunch. That is not enough. Eat.”

She picked up a fork. “Seemed like every time I went to eat today someone interrupted me.”

“Yes, everybody seems to want something from you.”

She shrugged. “Pitfalls of the job, I guess.”

“You must look after yourself better. Put your needs first.”

Mila laughed. “It’s not that bad.”

He scowled. “You need someone to look after you.”

“And you want to be that person?”

“Mila. I am that person. Now eat.”

“I’m eating. Do you really think that Sally’s death could be tied in with that vid? If someone wanted to put a halt to your investigation, it’s kind of worked. We’ve focused on the murder instead.”

“Perhaps. Or maybe it was her lover who killed her.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“So what would you like to ask me? To get to know me better?”

Surprised by his question, she just stared at him for a long moment.

“We are having food.” He gestured at the food in front of them. “Later, we can watch a movie if you choose. Would you like to ask me personal questions to know me better?”

“I guess.” But suddenly her mind had gone blank. “What is your life like on Zerconia? Do you have family?”

“Zerconia is a good place to live. It is well-ordered. Hot. We live close to the ocean. My parents are both dead and I have no siblings.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “Most Zerconians only have one child. Our females do not get pregnant easily, that is why we were so surprised by how quickly Zoey became pregnant.”

“She’s pregnant?”

Koran nodded. “It has made her very cranky.”

“I bet. Especially if it’s hot. My father’s third wife was due with twins one summer. She hated it.”

“So you have more siblings than just Aline.”

She laughed. “You could say that. I have two older and five younger half-brothers. Aline is my only half-sister.”

“I cannot imagine having that many siblings. You would never have been lonely.”

“Actually, I was always lonely. I never really seemed to fit in anywhere. When I was at Dad’s, I didn’t fit in with whatever wife he had and their kids. Then when I was with Mom, well, she never really coped after Dad left her. Aline was the only one who I ever felt close to. She always made an effort to include me. To make me feel like I was part of things.”

“And so you devoted the rest of your life to her?”

“No. Of course not. I work for her. I’m not devoted to her.” That made her sound like some self-sacrificing fool.

“No? But you seem to do her work and yours.”

“That’s not true. I couldn’t do what Aline does. All that wining and dining and negotiating.”

“Really? All you do is negotiate. You remain polite and gracious even with some of the most ridiculous complaints and requests I have heard.”

She shrugged. “It’s not so bad.”

“You are a very patient person. I am sure you will make a great mother.”

“Yeah?” She brightened at the idea. “I’ve always wanted kids.” She’d always promised to give them a better life than she’d had.

“You are also very beautiful.”

Okay, that was out of left field. “Pardon?”

“You are beautiful. Your eyes are like the ocean and your hair is like the trees.”

Like the trees?

“If you were to wear green you would remind me of the forest surrounding us.”

“Um, okay, no one has ever told me I look like a tree before.”

“And your skin is like the clouds, pale and cool.”

“Koran, why are you telling me this?”

“I am trying to compliment you. Is that not what a male does when he meets a female he likes?”

“I guess so. Thank you.” She didn’t know how many more of his compliments she could take.

“You have excellent posture. You stand as straight as a pole.”

“Enough. You shouldn’t spoil me with too many compliments at once.”

Looking pleased with himself, he sat back and dug into his food.

With a rueful laugh, she spooned up some mashed potato.

What was she going to do with him?

“This is the building where the mainframe is located.” Mila held her thumb up to the pad next to the door so it could scan her fingerprint. The pad scanned her face, doing a retinal scan and recording facial structure. Finally, the keypad flashed and she entered her pin.

“Let me go in first, Mila,” Koran ordered as she reached for the door.

“What if I’m wrong and there is someone in there? It will be best if I go in first. You’ll just frighten them.”

With reluctance, he stepped back and allowed her to pass him. He wasn’t allowed to carry any weapons on him. That had been one of Aline’s stipulations when she had given permission to the Zerconians to stay. But he wasn’t worried. He could easily defend Mila with his body.

It didn’t matter as there was no one inside the building. A large screen dwarfed the relatively small, dark room. A long, white desk and three plush, black chairs were the only pieces of furniture. Headsets rested on the desk, along with a few half-drunk cups of coffee and a box filled with round, brown objects.

Mila grabbed a seat, dragging it over to the large screen. She pulled on a headset with a mic attached. “Hello, Alice.”

The screen lit up and a curvy female with blonde hair appeared. “Hello, Mila.”

“How did it recognize you?” he asked.

“My I.D. when I came through the door.”

“So they will know that you were here?” he asked.

“I will erase any sign that we were here.”

She kept amazing him.

“Obviously, Alice’s creator was a male,” she muttered.

“Why is that obvious?”

“Because most women wouldn’t have chosen a pin-up girl as the avatar. Now, hush, I need to get to work. Alice, keyboard.”

Koran watched her for a while, but he couldn’t follow what she was doing. This sort of thing made him restless.

“If you sigh one more time, I’ll kill you,” she muttered, glaring at him. “I can’t go any faster. Either go back to your room and wait or be silent.”

“Sorry.” She was mean when she was working.

“Eat a donut or something.”

Donut? He looked over at the box that held the brown objects. They didn’t look all that appetizing and it appeared that someone had already eaten the middle out of them.

“They’re meant to look like that and they’re delicious. Chantelle makes them. Trust me.”

With a shrug, he picked one up and sniffed it. Surely it couldn’t kill him. He took a tentative bite and chewed.

Stars!

Sweet, fried dough filled his mouth. It was delicious. He took another bite. Heaven. He finished that one then took another. Okay, maybe this would keep him occupied for a while.

***

Mila rested back in her seat with a sigh. Got it. And she could scarcely believe who the guilty party was.

Turning, she glanced over as Koran groaned. He sat on the floor, resting his shoulders back against the wall, his hands on his stomach. Sweat coated his skin and his forehead was puckered into a painful frown.

“What’s wrong?” she asked in alarm.

“I feel ill.”

Oh my God. She’d told him to eat the donut. What if it was poisonous to Zerconians? But it was just fried dough and sugar, what could be the harm?

Jumping up, she moved over to him, placing her hand on his forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”

She glanced into the box of donuts. “You ate all of them?”

“They were so good. So very, very good.”

Exasperated, she stared down at him, hands on her hips. “You’re not supposed to eat all of them in one go. No wonder you feel so ill. They’re not good for you.”

“But they taste good.”

She shook her head and helped him stand. “From now on, only one donut at a time.”

“I am a grown man; I am certain I can figure out how many donuts to eat at a time.”

“Uh-huh. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’d like to get some sleep tonight.”

She tugged him along behind her.

“I am sure you tried your hardest,” he told her, patting her shoulder. “Perhaps we should sneak Torex out and have him try.”

“You can if you want. But it would be kind of pointless considering I already traced where the vid came from.” She grinned up at him, loving his look of surprise.

“Mila, you amaze me. Who was it? Should we not go to this person now?”

“It’s four in the morning. He’ll be asleep. It’s not like he can go anywhere. Let’s go get some sleep then go to Aline with this. She’ll be mad as hell, but she won’t appreciate us going to the culprit without her input.”

“Agreed.”

“Come on then.” She moved to the door.

“I am not sure I should be alone tonight.”

“Is that so?” she asked suspiciously.

He placed a hand on his stomach and groaned. “I could relapse. I need monitoring.”

“I could take you to Doc Angus.”

“I am not that ill,” he said, looking alarmed.

“But bad enough that you need me to monitor you?”

“Yes.”

“Come on then, big guy. Let’s get you tucked up into bed. Do you need some cocoa and a nightlight?”

He growled. “I am not a baby.”

No? Men, deep down, no matter what race or culture, were all babies when they weren’t feeling well.

When they were back at her quarters, she gathered up a blanket and her spare pillow and placed them on the sofa.

She looked at the sofa, then at his large frame.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa; you take the bed.”

“Why?” Koran asked.

“Because you’re too big for the sofa.”

“Why do we not both sleep in the bed.”

“Because I’m not ready yet.”
Yes, yes you are.

“What if I promise not to touch you? We will just sleep.”

He might be able to make that promise, but she wasn’t so sure she could. She was finding it harder to ignore the ache in her body. For the past few hours, it had felt like her skin was on fire. Each brush of her clothing against her skin sent shards of desire through her.

She had to fight against the urge to throw herself into his arms and beg him to fuck her. Only by forcing herself to completely shut him out had she been able to concentrate on hacking into the mainframe.

And now he was staying the night in her quarters. What the hell was she thinking?

“I just think it would be best if we slept apart.”

Koran turned away, his shoulders stiff.

“Koran?” She moved closer, placing her hand on his arm.

“I wish to give you the time you need, but I can feel my temper rising.” He turned again. “Is it because you wish to hear that I love you?”

“No.” She bit her lip. “I don’t trust love.”

He frowned. “Do you not?”

“Love doesn’t last. It doesn’t endure. It’s fickle. It’s something someone says to manipulate another person.”

She sighed as he just watched her. “I know, I sound ridiculous. But my father claimed to love each of his wives. Didn’t stop him from cheating on them then leaving them. My mother, well, she was never the same after. She pined away for him. I don’t need you to love me.”

“Then what?”

“You will be angry if I tell you.” Because he wanted her to trust him and she couldn’t. Not fully.

“I promise I will not.”

“It’s just that Aline thinks this whole mating forever thing is a lie you’ve spun to get human females into your beds so you can increase your population.”

His face grew thunderous and she stared at him with trepidation. “See, I knew you would be angry.”

“I am not angry at you. But it is a lie. However, there is no reason for you to believe me. Would you believe Zoey?”

“The Crown Princess?”

“She will understand best what you are going through.”

Mila nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“I will contact her now.” He raised his communicator before she could protest and less than a minute later, a holographic image of a large, Zerconian male appeared. His short, blond hair looked almost white. Deep, brown eyes studied her for a moment before he turned to Koran.

“Koran? Is all well?”

“Yes. Dex, this is Mila. Mila, the Crown Prince of Zerconia, Dex.”

“Mila, nice to meet you.” The other man nodded to her.

“You too, Your Highness.”

“We would like to converse with Zoey.”

The Crown Prince frowned. “She is asleep.”

“No, I’m not,” a loud voice called out. Suddenly, a pretty woman stepped into the picture, her large, rounded stomach protruding out in front of her.

She smiled brightly at Mila. “Hi, I’m Zoey. Are you Mila?”

“Yes.”

“Awesome! Finally, I get to meet the woman who brought down the mighty Koran! Never thought he would find his mate. Figured no woman would have him actually.”

Mila just gaped at her.

“Oh, call me Zoey, by the way.”

“My own, perhaps you should sit down. You were supposed to be resting.” There was a stern note in Dex’s voice, but Mila could see the tenderness in his gaze as he looked at his mate.

Zoey waved him off, although she did take a seat. “I’m fine. I’m always resting. What did you want to talk to me about, grumpy?”

“Grumpy?” Mila asked as Koran frowned.

“Oh, that’s my nickname for Koran. He’s always frowning, have you noticed?”

Mila looked up at him. “Not so much lately.”

“Really?” Zoey stared at Koran. “Wow, you must be a miracle worker. Maybe he was grumpy all the time because he wasn’t getting laid.”

“Zoey!” Dex frowned at her.

“I know what getting laid means,” Koran said stiffly. “That has nothing to do with whether I frown or not.”

“No?” Zoey glanced back and forth between the two of them. Mila resisted the urge to shuffle her feet around. “The two of you haven’t mated yet, have you? How the hell are you resisting it?” Zoey asked Mila. “God, I went insane with arousal. I was so hot for Dex I could have tackled him to the floor and fucked his brains out.”

Dex placed his hand over his eyes.

“Mila wishes to speak to you, Zoey. Alone.”

Dex nodded and kissed his mate gently on the head. “Rest. And try not to send Mila running please.”

“Would I do that? I want Mila to mate Koran, maybe more than Koran does.”

Muttering to himself, Koran moved into the bathroom.

“So, what has the big lug done? And how the hell are you managing to resist the urge to jump him?” Zoey asked.

“It’s getting harder if I’m honest. And Koran hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s been very patient. It’s just the urges are getting stronger and I don’t think I’m ready to mate him. I mean, I’ve known him less than a fortnight. That’s just insane.”

“Oh, you so remind me of me. I was exactly the same. I was not going to sleep with Dex after just meeting him. But our bodies took over for us. I needed him. Turned out the best thing I ever did.”

“So it’s really true? I mean, I can feel the pull towards Koran. From the start, I was attracted to him. But do they really mate forever?”

“Weird concept to get your head around, but they really do. Mila, they need to find their mates and not just the males, the females too. Although, because there are fewer females, they seem to find their mate more easily. But there is only one mate for each Zerconian. You are Koran’s. Without you, he is lost. He will become more withdrawn, his temper more volatile, until one day he’ll do something stupid, like jump from a cliff and kill himself.”

“So, no pressure huh?” Mila joked weakly, ill with the idea of Koran dying.

Zoey smiled gently. “I know this is hard to understand. But these guys, they’re loyal and protective and loving, in their own way. Yes, he will frustrate the hell out of you and you’ll probably want to murder him twenty times a day, at least, to begin with. But I couldn’t imagine not having Dex in my life. In fact, the thought of being without him is terrifying. He’s my whole world and I’m his.”

Mila took a deep breath to still her jittery stomach.

“You’re not rolling on the couch, almost ill with arousal like I was so you’ve still got some time. Lucky bitch, I was a mess. You look tired. Sleep on it. Hope to see you soon.”

She waved then disappeared.

“You can come out now,” Mila called out to Koran.

He walked into the living area. “Did she convince you that I tell the truth?”

Mila nodded. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“I understand. Our cultures are different.”

“She also said to sleep on it and I think that is good advice.”

Koran nodded, looking guarded. “I will return to my quarters.”

“No, please. It’s late. Stay.” She wanted him close by.

“All right. But I shall sleep on the sofa. You need your rest.”