Sweet Alien Savage (Zerconian Warriors Book 4) (6 page)

“I’ll stick a bandage on it.”

“You could use the regeneration chamber,” he told her, unsure why he was so concerned about what was really just a bad scratch.

“For a scratch? No, it will be fine.”

“Why do you wear these? Are your hands cold?” he asked, pointing at the now ruined gloves.

“Oh yeah, something like that.” She couldn’t look him in the eyes and he knew she was lying.

“Thanks for checking on me.” She glanced down at herself with a self-deprecating laugh. “Guess that wasn’t my brightest moment. I think this dress is only good for a rag now.”

“You should take better care. You could have been seriously hurt.”

“I know.” She stared up at him. “I guess I had better go.”

Unable to help himself, he cupped her face, leaning in towards her. She was so short he almost had to bend in two.

“I will walk you to your quarters.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have—” Her words were muffled by his mouth as he kissed her.

At first, he kept the kiss gentle and soft, not wanting to alarm her. As her lips parted beneath his mouth, he slipped his tongue inside, tasting her, possessing her.

Possessiveness engulfed him and he wrapped his hands around her waist, drawing her up against him as he deepened the kiss. Pleasure washed through him, increasing with each touch. A sense of rightness ran through him.

She was his.

Mine.

She slumped in his arms and he pulled her up against his chest. He needed to take her back to his quarters. He needed to make her his. To join with her.

A soft growl erupted from him as laughter intruded on their solitude. No one would touch her but him.

He stared down into her face, the need to take her replaced by fear as he took in her unconscious state. What was wrong with her?

Panicked, he glanced around spying a small, concrete bench. He lay her on it, running his hands over her freezing arms. It was cool out here, but she was frozen.

“Mila, wake up!”

Frantic, he grabbed for his communicator. There was only one person he trusted to help him.

Thor.

“Koran? Is everything all right?” Thor asked.

“It’s my mate,” Koran replied. “She’s unconscious.”

Thankfully, Thor didn’t waste any time asking for explanations.

“Is she injured?”

“No.” He ran his hands over her body again to make certain. She was so frail and thin that it alarmed him. “She’s so small. Could I have hurt her?”

“What did you do?” Thor asked.

“I kissed her.”

“For the first time?”

“Yes,” Koran answered impatiently. “Why? Do I need to get her to the healer?”

“No. Remember the first time Dex touched Zoey?”

“She fainted.” He had touched Mila before now, though.

But this was the first time I touched her bare skin. Maybe that was the difference.

“Yes, that’s probably what has happened here. Are there any other symptoms? Anything else concerning?”

“She’s cold. But we are outside and she is not wearing a lot. Plus, she is very thin.”

“Keep her warm and hydrated. If she doesn’t awaken in the next ten minutes, get the healer. Oh, and Koran?”

“Yes?”

“Congratulations.”

Koran turned off his communicator then dragged off his jacket. He hated wearing the thing anyway. He tucked it around her then pulled her up into his arms.

She groaned and relief hit him hard. He sat on the bench and just cradled her close. The last thing he’d expected was to find his mate. He certainly hadn’t expected to feel so protective, so possessive. He wanted to hide her away somewhere safe and keep her all to himself.

Her eyelids fluttered. “What happened?” She held her hand up to her head.

“We kissed. You fainted. Mila—”

“I what?” She sat up straight. “Oh God, how embarrassing. What am I doing on your lap?”

“You were cold and I was going to carry you—”

“No need to carry me anywhere. I’m fine.” She attempted to move from his lap, but he held her against him. “I have to go.”

Why would she not stay still? She was moving around all over the place. “Mila, I need to—”

“Thanks for your jacket.” She handed it over. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“Mila, be quiet and listen!”

She stilled and looked at him in shock. Instantly, he regretted the harshness in his voice.

“Mila! Mila!”

Mila looked up at the terrace. “That’s Aline. I have to go.”

“Where are you?” Aline’s voice was clearly growing irritated, her voice sharp and demanding. He frowned.

“Aline! I’m coming. Can you let me go now, Koran?”

“You must stay with me.”

“Nope, don’t think so. I gotta go.” She continued to fight against his hold. “Let me go.”

“No.”

She stilled, glaring up at him. “You can’t hold me here against my will.”

He could. He opened his mouth to tell her she was his. That he would do whatever he was necessary to keep her by his side. But the memory of the mess Zoey and Dex had gone through when they first met made him pause.

He did not wish to frighten her.

“Koran, let me go before security comes looking for me.”

If they interfered, they could force him to leave Zazarn. To leave her. Unacceptable.

Not thinking clearly, he quickly stood. She fell to the ground with an oompf.

“Ouch, cheers,” she grumbled.

“My apologies,” he said, horrified. “Did I hurt you?”

This time, when he helped her up, he was much gentler. He noticed her wince when he grabbed her hands. There was a reason for those gloves.

“I’m fine.”

“Mila!”

Mila winced, glancing up at the terrace. “I really have to go before she comes down here looking for me. Coming!”

Turning, she limped off. Pausing, she pulled off the one shoe she still wore.

“Wait, I need to talk to you.”

“Later!” She ran off, leaving him gaping after her. Confusion filled him. Did she not feel an attraction to him? Did she not feel the pull?

She wasn’t the logical choice. Aline would be much better suited. But crazy, clumsy, funny, gorgeous Mila was the one who filled his mind and captured his soul.

***

“Wait, you’re saying you have two human mates?” Zoey burst into laughter. “I shouldn’t laugh but you have to admit this is kind of funny. You were always so adamant you didn’t want a human mate and now you have two!”

Both Dex and Koran frowned at Zoey as she giggled and snorted to herself.

Koran turned to Dex. As soon as he’d arrived back at his quarters, he had contacted Dex. Dex was one of his closest friends and he needed his advice.

He had hoped to catch him on his own.

“For a very brief moment, I did wonder if the ambassador could be my mate. She would be the logical choice. But I was wrong. Mila is my mate.”

“Logical?” Zoey asked.

“She is organized, intelligent, and logical. Very unlike other human females.”

Zoey snorted. “Sounds boring.”

Dex shot Zoey a look and she sighed. “I can’t believe you let Mila walk away. Dex dragged me off to his quarters to do the nasty with me.”

Nasty?

“You believe joining to be nasty?” Koran asked.

“Zoey very much enjoys joining with me,” Dex told him arrogantly. “Nasty is a word for joining.”

“I used to enjoy joining with you.” Zoey glared at Dex.

Dex scowled. “I will not do anything that might harm the baby.”

Zoey rolled her eyes. “Sex won’t harm the baby. Thor told you that.”

Dex crossed his arms over his chest. “No.”

Koran shook his head. Would he ever understand these Earthers? Of course, Dex could not join with Zoey at this time. She carried his child.

“So what is this Mila like?” Zoey asked. “How’s your temper? Remember how Dex went all Hulk and abandoned me?”

“I did not abandon you!” Dex placed his hand on his hips. “I did not realize how much time was passing and I certainly did not know you were ill.”

When they had first met, Zoey had refused to join with Dex, which had left her in a constant state of arousal and Dex riding the edge of his temper.

Zerconian males could be very aggressive. They released tension through physical activity. Dex’s body had gone into overdrive, he’d lost track of time, and hadn’t realized that he’d left his mate alone for days.

Koran frowned. “I admit my control over my temper has not been as good as I would like, however I do not feel I have become overly aggressive.”

“That is good,” Dex told him. “We do not know that every human-Zerconian mating will be the same as ours.”

“I will simply explain everything to Mila in a logical way and then join with her.” Koran nodded. There. Done. Having a human mate wasn’t his first choice. But if she were his mate, he would do his best by her.

She would need more care than a Zerconian female. She was very small and delicate. Then there was her habit of falling over. She could badly hurt herself. He frowned. He would need to ensure that she took more care.

She needed a minder. On Zerconia, females were accompanied by a guard outside of their homes to ensure their safety. Perhaps he should arrange a guard for Mila.

“Right and you expect her to just swoon into your arms and declare her undying love and devotion? Dude, those delusions are taking over. You need to smack them back into submission.” Zoey rolled her eyes.

What
?

Zoey waved her arm about. “Women don’t like being told what to do. They want to be asked.”

“But she is my mate!” She should be with him! Protected by him, cared for by him. “I do not think I can ignore the urge to take her for long. I believed Darac to be threatening her and I barely managed to hold myself back from attacking him. What shall I do?”

“To win over your mate?” Zoey asked. “You could try smiling once in a while. Do you remember how?”

“Zoey,” Dex scolded.

Zoey gave her mate an apologetic look. Then she turned to Koran. “Sorry, Koran. The baby kicked me all night. I’m tired, hot, and sweaty and sore and I have a really bad craving for chocolate. It’s making me cranky.”

Koran bowed. “I understand.”

“I will say this slowly.” Zoey placed a hand on her stomach, grimacing. “Women like to be dated, romanced, to feel like we have a choice.”

“But if she is my mate then there is no choice.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean she’ll accept that. Give her a chance to get to know you first before you spring all this ‘you’re stuck with me forever’ stuff on her. Mind you, giving her a chance to know you better may not be the best idea. She might run the other way.”

Dex shook his head. “They may not have much time. Not if the mating demands begin.”

“I will not allow her to suffer.” He would protect her. Even from herself. Jumping over terraces was a thing of the past for her.

Zoey attempted to sit up. Dex rushed over to help her. “Use what time you have wisely. Romance her. Buy her flowers. Ask her to dinner. Tell her she’s pretty. Things like that.”

Dex nodded. “Female Earthers enjoy flowers. Also food under the stars.”

Flowers? Food under the stars? Romance?

This was going to be the toughest assignment he’d ever undertaken.

“How is the investigation progressing?” Dex asked.

Koran almost sighed with relief at the change in topic. Now this was something he understood. Unlike women.

“So far I have not discovered any leads.” Which baffled him. “If I could interview some of the ambassador’s staff—”

“No,” Dex said. “Unfortunately, the ambassador made it clear that we were not to scare her staff.”

“I would not scare them.” Although he had noticed they were rather wary and closed mouthed around him. Even after five days.

“They probably wouldn’t talk to you anyway,” Zoey said.

“They appear to be more talkative after some alcohol.”

Zoey grinned. “Great idea. Get them drunk then question them. Except that wouldn’t stand up in court.”

“Court?” Koran asked.

“It’s a human thing. Any lawyer would get that thrown out of court and the guilty party would go free.”

Koran scowled. “If someone admits to a crime, then they are guilty. They should be punished.”

Zoey just shrugged. “It might seem stupid, but if you find this person they’ll be subject to Earth law. You need to find what evidence you can then give it to the ambassador.”

“Our next step is to access the mainframe and see if we can trace it back from there. Unfortunately, the ambassador is stalling our efforts to access the area.”