Sweet Alien Savage (Zerconian Warriors Book 4) (5 page)

“Good luck with that one.”

Mila sighed. “What was I thinking? I don’t know the first thing about dating.”

“But you’re a woman. You can do this.”

“Yeah? What if I spend my whole time drooling over them? They’re large, handsome and intimidating. I need to make up an excuse to get out of this.”

Sally placed her hand over Mila’s. “You’re smart, strong and kind. Don’t put yourself down. You offered to do this because you wanted to help them. That was a nice thing to do.”

“You’re rightJust because I haven’t got much experience,”
or any really,
“doesn’t mean I can’t help them.”

She grabbed Sally’s hand gently, turning it over. “How’d you get that bruise?” A dark bruise covered her wrist.

Sally pulled her hand back quickly, turning away to wipe at the bench. “Oh, that, it was nothing. I bruise easily.”

Mila watched her for a moment. “Are you sure? You can tell me anything.”

Sally turned back and smiled at her. “I know. You’re a good friend, Mila. And you’ll be a great mentor to these Zerconians.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Mila resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall.

Barely.

“We are sorry, Mila. We are not usually slow to learn.” Jaxan gave her a sympathetic smile.

Mila forced herself to smile back at him. They were trying. That wasn’t the problem. It was more than they just didn’t seem to be
learning
anything.

“All right, let’s try this again.”
Patience, Mila.
“Darac, you’re a woman, sitting at a bar. Jaxan, you’re going to try and ask Darac out.”

“Why must I be the female?” Darac asked, almost pouting.

Deep breaths, Mila. Deep breaths.

“Everyone needs to take turns playing the female role.”

“Darac makes a very unattractive female,” Safan stated. The others all nodded.

Honestly, before she’d started working with these guys, she thought she had endless patience. She worked for Aline, after all. But this required a whole other level of endurance.

“Make Safan be the female,” Darac demanded.

“I am not a female!” Safan protested, puffing out his chest. “I am warrior.”

“And I am not?” Darac yelled. He was the most temperamental of the group, given to short bursts of anger. The rest were actually pretty easygoing.

Although they didn’t appreciate having to act the part of a female. Really, it wasn’t as though she’d asked them to wear a dress, high heels, and a bra.

Maybe she should. It would teach them how easy they had it.

Was there a greater feeling in the world than taking off your bra at the end of the day? Maybe sex, but then she wouldn’t know about that.

Kind of ironic that a virgin was teaching a bunch of sexy guys how to interact women.

Not that she was doing a very good job.

“I do not need to know what to say to females,” Safan informed her as he slouched back on the couch. “Females come to me. Why would they not? Look at me.”

Don’t look at him. Do not look at him.

She’d learned it only spurned him on. Yep, he was gorgeous, but she didn’t need to hear him say it every five minutes
.

“Darac, just be the female, okay? We all have to take turns. Good boy. Now, Jaxan, pretend you’re at the dance tonight, you see a woman you like, so you walk up to her and say—”

“Did you just call me a good boy?” Darac interrupted.

“Yes, honestly, this is why I never became a preschool teacher like my mother wanted. Darac, will you please try not to scowl all the time!”

“I am not scowling.”

Everyone laughed.

“That’s his permanent look,” Jaxan explained.

“Seriously?” she asked.

“I have known Darac the longest and I have never seen him without that scowl,” Lucan told her.

“Well, try to look less scowly and more sweet.”

“Sweet? Sweet! I will do this no longer!” Darac stormed over to her. She held her ground, well used to his antics after having been with these guys morning and night for the last five days. “This is ridiculous. You try to humiliate me by making me a female!”

He shook his finger in her face. Mila just sighed and tapped her foot, waiting for the dramatics to end.

“You bring shame to my name! I will not stand for the insult!”

“Darac, stand down!” A voice thundered through the room and everyone froze, including Darac.

Mila turned to see Koran standing in the doorway, his face filled with thunder, his gaze red.

Uh-oh. That wasn’t good.

She’d been avoiding Koran. Which wasn’t difficult since he’d been spending most of his time with Aline. Who had been trying her best to seduce him. Surprisingly, she’d had yet to succeed.

Unfortunately, Mila was bearing the brunt of Aline’s temper over the situation. Aline kept increasing her workload. If it wasn’t for the time she spent with these guys, she was pretty certain she’d never get a break.

But Aline had actually approved of her plan to help these warriors understand women better.

“Um, Commander Al’a, I didn’t hear you come in.” Was he angry that she’d made one of his warriors play the part of a female? But what other choice did she have? And really, Darac wasn’t doing that good a job, so she didn’t think it was much of a threat to his masculinity.

Koran turned his intense gaze on her. She shivered slightly, taking a step back as her stomach somersaulted. What was it about him that brought forth this instant attraction? That made her want to drag him to her bed and have her way with him? Not that she’d know what to do once she got him there.

Oh, she knew the mechanics, she wasn’t stupid. But she’d probably fumble around like a teenager on their first date.

Not really that different from the rest of her life.

“Do not fear me, little human. I will not harm you. And I will allow to no one else to harm you.”

His husky voice sent shivers of arousal through her blood. He stood straight and still, his long, silky midnight-black hair fell nearly to his shoulders. The red in his eyes had died away, leaving them dark.

Koran glared at his warriors who were all silent.

Uh, what was she missing?

“I’m not scared of you.” Well, not much anyway. Right now, he was more than a little intimidating. But she had spent so much time with these guys over the few days that she knew they’d chew off their right arm before hurting a female.

“Darac shall be reprimanded for speaking to you that way,” he growled, turning his gaze on Darac, who faced him steadily.

She glanced back and forth between the two.

“Okay, umm, why?”

“Why?” Crap, that dark gaze, filled with thunder, moved back to her and she swallowed heavily. “Because he dared raise his voice to you. He stood over you threateningly. He frightened you.”

“First, if I got frightened every time someone raised their voice to me, I’d be a trembling mess scared to leave her room. It’s not like Darac doesn’t throw a hissy fit at least twice a day. I’d be worried if he wasn’t acting like a drama queen.”

“Hissy fit?” Koran looked confused. “Drama Queen? We do not have a Queen.”

Damn, she deserved a sainthood. “I mean that Darac protests every time I make him play the female. It’s why I make him do it more than anyone else.”

“You do?” Darac glared at her. “You enjoy making me a female? Less of a male?”

She rolled her eyes. “Pretending to be a female doesn’t make you less masculine.”

Darac stepped forward. Suddenly, a wide back filled her vision. Koran had slid between her and Darac. What the hell?

“Hey, you make a better wall than a window!” She pushed at him.

Rapid Zerconian was exchanged between the two of them. “Hey! Hey!”

Koran snarled at Darac—how dare he threaten the little human? She was tiny and delicate, a harsh word could send her fleeing, terrified for her safety. The last thing they needed was for her to complain to Aline about their treatment of her. They had a mission to achieve and unless he soothed the little human, reassuring her that she was safe, they could find themselves back on a ship to Zerconia.

And as he had yet to achieve their primary objective, that would count as a failed mission. Something he would not contemplate.

Koran told himself that was why he was so furious. Because he could not contemplate failure. Because the mission was too important.

Not because he felt anything for the tiny female behind him. Not because his cock had surged the moment he walked up behind her or because there was something inside him that screamed
mine
.

It couldn’t be. She wasn’t his mate. The delicate female trembling behind him would be a totally unacceptable mate.

“Hey! Hey!” The female yelled out.

Something prodded his back and he turned, shocked. “Did you just poke me?”

Wide, blue-green eyes stared up at him, but she stood her ground, surprising him.

“Yes, I did.”

“Why?” he asked incredulously. No one had ever poked him. No one would dare.

Aware of his warriors watching on, Koran knew he needed to gain control of this situation. Fast. Or he risked losing their respect and obedience. Zerconian warriors could be volatile. They needed a strong leader, one whom they respected or it could be disastrous.

“Because you weren’t listening to me.”

“You may go now, human.” He would ask Aline to check on her. After he’d dealt with Darac.

Expecting her to flee immediately, he turned back to Darac. Suddenly, she stood between them, glaring up at him. Her stance was protective, but who was she protecting? Surely not Darac?

Darac gaped down at the small human in surprise. “Mila, what do you do?”

She glanced back at Darac. “I’m trying to protect you.”

“Protect me? Protect me!”

Darac’s temper was getting worse, which worried Koran immensely. He was inching closer to the edge. The other warrior needed to find his mate soon or Koran feared they would lose him.

“Darac, stand down!” Koran grabbed the female’s arm to pull her back. “Jaxan take the female back to her quarters.”

“Let go!” With an irritated huff, she yanked her arm free. Then she pointed at Darac. “And you, stop acting like a caveman.”

“What is a caveman?”

“They were ancient humans who acted on impulse. They were aggressive and they probably had bad hygiene and poor verbal communication.”

“I have bad hygiene?” Darac sniffed himself as she turned to glare up at Koran.

“Look, I’m not scared of Darac and you don’t need to reprimand him, okay?”

“You placed yourself between two warriors. That was dangerous, female. You need a minder.”

“Neither of you would have hurt me.”

Koran watched her for a long moment. “He did not scare you?”

“No. I’m used to his theatrics, although he better not act that way tonight.” She turned to look over her shoulder at Darac. “Or he’ll be starting right back at the beginning.”

Darac sighed. “I will be on my best behavior tonight. I promise.”

She let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl. “You better.” There was a beep and she glanced at her communicator. “Crap, I’m late. Aline’s gonna kill me. All of you, remember what I taught you and you’ll do fine tonight. Well, hopefully. Maybe. Bye.”

With a cheerful wave of her hand, she ran off.

Koran turned to stare at Darac. “Explain.”

Darac nodded. “Yes, Commander.” He gave a clear and concise report of the last two hours. When he was finished, Koran nodded.

“I can understand your lapse of patience, given the circumstances.” She was making his men act as females? What was she thinking? “However, you will not yell or intimidate any females, including her, again. That is not how we treat females.”

“I understand, Commander.”

“You will have no contact with the female again until I have ascertained to my satisfaction that she has not been detrimentally affected by your behavior.”

Darac nodded. “Yes, Commander.”

“Do you have questions?”

“Yes. Do I smell to you?”

“Whatever you do, do not ruin this for me,” Aline hissed at Mila as they strode down the passageway to the large ballroom. It wasn’t really a ballroom, but Aline liked to call it that. The large meeting room was hardly used because no one ever visited Zazarn.

“We’re getting off this hellhole and these Zerconians are our ticket out of here. So stop fooling around with useless matters and help me win them over.”

“I wouldn’t call Zazarn a hellhole, Aline,” Mila muttered, trying to keep up with her sister’s longer stride. Why the hell had she decided to wear shoes with a heel? Granted they were only a two-inch heel; most women wouldn’t blink twice.

Stu, who had worked the corner of 9
th
Avenue and Stern Street, had worn six-inch heels most nights and he’d managed to dance the cha-cha while singing off-key without falling over once.

But Mila’s clumsiness meant she always stuck to flats.

Except tonight for some reason.

Maybe the same reason that she’d dug this old dress out of her wardrobe. She didn’t even know why she had kept it. She hadn’t worn it since college. It was a little big on her, but otherwise, she thought she looked quite good. The soft, powder blue brought out the color in her eyes. It had a V neckline to help give the illusion that she had breasts.

And it ended at mid-calf so she didn’t have to worry about tripping over it.

Mila tugged at her gloves. She’d managed to spill boiling hot coffee on her hands this morning. She’d been too busy thinking about Koran and hadn’t been watching what she was doing. Doc Angus had applied salve. The gloves looked old-fashioned and odd, but they were better than having people stare at her red, painful skin.

“I’ve been teaching the Zerconian warriors about how to talk and interact with human women. You thought it was a good idea.”

“Did I?” Aline said distractedly. They were nearly at the doors to the ballroom. “That doesn’t sound like me.”

No, it didn’t. Mila figured her sister hadn’t really been listening when she had agreed to her request.

Aline paused in front of the hall mirror to check her appearance.

“Listen,” she whispered harshly. “I have to win this big buffoon over. He’s so stupid, he hasn’t yet figured out I’m coming on to him. I need you to figure out what makes him tick so I can seduce him.”

“You want me to ask him what turns him on?” Mila gaped at her.

Aline slashed her hand through the air. “Don’t be stupid, Mila! I don’t want you to come out and just ask him. But people tell you things. I don’t know why, but they do. Just get him talking, find out something I can use. If I can’t seduce him, then I’ll have to blackmail him. Just find out what you can.”

Mila stared at her sister as she strode into the ballroom. Great, now she had the wonderful job of figuring out a way her sister could get the man Mila was attracted to into bed.

Like she was a freaking dating agency. Except this wasn’t dating it was just … fucking.

With a sigh, Mila stepped into the room.

Some night this was going to be.

***

Aline brushed up against him and Koran glanced down at her.

“I apologize for my lateness,” she murmured, touching his arm. There was a small tingling across his skin.

“I did not notice.”

The corners of her lips tightened. Perhaps that was the wrong thing to say. Aline was such a practical, logical person. He didn’t think she would get emotional over his words.

What to say to make things better?

“You smell pleasant.”

“Um, thank you. I think.”

“Better than a group of warriors at the end of the day.” There, that was charming. He was getting good at this. Being charming wasn’t difficult at all. Just annoying.

“Really?” Aline moved her hand away. “I believe I better mingle.”

“Certainly.”

There was a low chuckle from behind him and he turned to find a small female standing there. He frowned, she looked familiar, but then to him, most of these human females looked alike.

But no, this was…

“Mila?” He gaped at her. Who knew that beneath those baggie clothes she actually had a slim and pleasant figure. The color of her dress seemed to highlight her eyes. Tonight she was quite feminine.

“What?” She rubbed at her cheek. “Do I have something on my face? I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that cream puff but I was feeling a bit lightheaded and I hadn’t eaten dinner. Crap, it’s all over my face, isn’t it?”

He attempted to keep up with the stream of chatter exploding from her. He had some experience with the way human females spoke from spending time with Zoey. But even Zoey didn’t speak this quickly.

“You did not eat?” He latched onto the one thing he did understand. “That is not good for your health.” The urge to run over to the buffet table and fill up a plate for her surprised him.

But the need to feed her by hand shocked him even more.

She waved her hand through the air. “Don’t worry, I skip meals all the time.”

That did not reassure him.

“Did you really just tell Aline that she smells better than a bunch of sweaty men?”

He frowned. “No. Did I?”

“Yep. You did. You know, I think you better come to my lessons on how to talk to women.”

“I have more important things to attend to.” He folded his arms across his chest.

“So how is your investigation going?”

“You know about that?” he asked.

Mila nodded, staring across the room. “Crap. Jaxan, what did you do?”

Koran looked over the room to find Jaxan talking to a curvy female with bright red hair. The female frowned up at him.

“What is the matter?” Koran asked.

“I don’t know. Just give him a minute…give him a minute…” Her whole attention focused on Jaxan and the red-haired female.

Suddenly the female smiled and Mila sighed, relaxing. “Nailed it.”

“Nailed what?”

“Hmm?” She glanced up at him. “Oh, sorry, I forgot you were there.”

She forgot about him? Insulted, he growled slightly. How could she forget about him when he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind all day? Not since this morning when she’d boldly stood up to him.

Not that he approved of that sort of behavior. A female should always be respectful and defer to her mate.

But she’s not your mate.

He shook his head to clear it of that thought and the stab of regret that accompanied it. He wasn’t attracted to this tiny, delicate female. She was nothing like Aline, who was refined and calm.

“I’m acting like a mother hen with her chicks, aren’t I?” She laughed and his stomach tightened, his shaft thickening. “Here I am, watching over them, worried they’re going to get into trouble and I’ll have to ride in to their rescue.”

“You think to rescue my warriors? You are a mere female and small at that.”

“Just because I’m small and a female doesn’t mean that I’m not strong.”

“You could not even lift that chair over there.” He nodded towards a small, wooden chair.

Her mouth dropped open. “I certainly can! Anyway, that’s beside the point. I know I couldn’t match any of your warriors in physical strength. I was talking about rescuing them from themselves before they get slapped. Or worse. Let’s just hope they’re doing better than you are.”

“I am not here to learn how to talk to females. I talk just fine.”

“Uh-huh, sure you do, big guy. I guess you do have more important things on your mind. You didn’t say how your investigation is going.”

“That was supposed to be a secret.”

“Oh, it is. Only Aline and I know.”

She seemed very casual about someone who was her superior. But then, these Earthers were relaxed. He had seen it with Zoey. She cared little for rank or power.

“Well?” She tapped her foot impatiently.

“You do not have the clearance to discuss this matter.”

“That bad, huh? I could help you know.”

Help? Her? Over his dead body.

Why was he so protective of her?

“No.”

“All transmissions go through the mainframe. You need to access it and track the transmission back.”

“I will look into that. Excuse me.”

Turning, he strode off. She was irritating and she stirred him in ways that confused him. He did not want to want her.

So the best idea would be to stay well away from her.

Mila watched Koran stride off. Could he be any ruder? She knew there were big differences in their culture, but surely that had to be rude behavior by anyone’s standards.

“Well?” Aline reappeared beside her. “What did you find out?”

“He’s rude, abrupt, and sexist.”

“I just want to seduce him, not marry him.”

Oh right. Aline wanted to know how to get him into bed. Mila felt ill. The last thing she wanted was to help her sister seduce Koran.

“His investigation isn’t going well. Perhaps you could invite him to your quarters to discuss what to do next.”

No! What are you doing?
The voice in her head screamed at her, urging her to tell Aline to keep her grubby hands off Koran. But she held herself back. Even if he was interested in her, which he obviously wasn’t, Aline would murder her.

So she bit her tongue. What did she care if Aline slept with him? He was arrogant, rude and condescending, even if he did stir her in ways she’d never experienced before.

Koran left the ballroom to get some fresh air. The music had grown louder, alcohol was flowing and a lot of the humans had started dancing. Their form of dance was much sexier than anything the Zerconians were used to. Although he noticed that his warriors were more than happy to watch.

He turned to his right, but the sound of giggling and whispering made him turn on his heel and head towards the other end of the terrace.

“Damn it.”

He knew that voice. Mila. Koran moved slowly forward, keeping to the shadows until he spotted a small figure standing under a light. “Why am I such a klutz?”

Her head was bent, the light shining on her brown hair as she studied something on her dress.

“Going to have to soak this.” She glanced toward the door that led back into the ballroom before peeking over the edge of the terrace.

Suddenly, she hiked up her dress, revealing the pale, creamy skin of her thighs. Koran swallowed heavily, adjusting his shaft to try to ease the discomfort as it pressed against his tight pants.

In shock, he watched as she straddled the balustrade of the terrace. What was she doing? Surely, she didn’t think to jump over? The terrace was at least six feet above the ground below.

“Eek!” Mila disappeared over the edge of the terrace just as he jumped forward. He glanced over the edge. She lay on the ground unmoving. Heart pounding in his chest, he leaped over the balustrade and landed in a crouch. The light from the terrace barely lit the darkness.

“Mila! Mila, are you all right?”

He turned the light on his communicator on, allowing him to see more clearly. She sat, her hair a tangled mess with leaves and clumps of dirt twisted within the brown strands.

Holding her elbow, she gaped up at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Checking that you haven’t broken your neck, foolish female. Why did you jump over the balustrade?”

“You were watching me?”

“I happened to walk up as you jumped over,” he said stiffly. “What were you thinking?”

She sighed and rubbed her elbow. “I had a mark on my dress and I didn’t want to walk back into the ballroom.”

“So you thought you’d jump over the edge of the terrace? You could have hurt yourself!”

“Yeah, I know, not my best moment. Are you going to stand there scowling at me all night or are you going to help me up?”

Chagrined that he had left her sitting on the ground, he held out his hand and pulled.

With a cry, she flew up and crashed into him.

“Oomph, don’t know your own strength there, huh, big fella?” With a wince, she stepped back, limping slightly.

“You are lighter than I expected.” Too light to his way of thinking. He remembered her remark about skipping meals. Were she his, he would ensure she ate properly. Her health would be of utmost importance.

“Have you hurt yourself?”

“Huh?” she asked.

“You’re limping and you appear to be in pain.”

“Oh, I’ve lost a shoe somewhere and I must have banged my elbow.”

“Let me see,” he demanded, holding out his hand.

“It’s fine.”

He growled. “Must you always argue with me?”

“I didn’t realize that I did. Sorry.” She held out her arm for him. He studied the deep scratch.

“This needs tending to.”