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"No danger in that," she snarled and stormed off into the bathroom, leaving me to wonder what in the seven suns I had said wrong now to set her off. I went through a mental list of the events since I woke with a start. My body was drenched in sweat, the sheets tangled around my legs. The phantom sensation of Hannah's soft skin against mine lingered, taunting me. I growled, frustrated by a night of restless sleep thanks to dreams of Hannah in her scant outfit when I took her from the tavern that had haunted me all night. My cock was stiff and in need of release that I was sure wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"Damn human," I muttered, swinging my legs over the edge of the couch and groaning. My shaft was so hard it bordered on painful, a constant reminder of my growing obsession with the infuriating female.

She was as chatty in the morning as she had been yesterday.

Though not very hungry, I offered we visit the nourishingstation so I wouldn't have to watch her inmyquarters, aroundmybed. And maybe escape the overpowering scent of her, luring me, teasing me, playing havoc with my self-control.

But she couldn't even follow that one simple suggestion without altering the plan.I don't know how your anatomy works, but humans need a few moments, her voice echoed in my head.Obstinate female.

"Another peculiarity of their inferior physiology," I mused, trying to focus on Hannah's flaws rather than her intoxicating scent and alluring curves.

I decided not to wait for her, hoping and praying the stupid marks would allow us some distance. I made my way to the nourishing station by myself. That would show her, hah!

On the way, my mind wandered to Hannah's unexpected gratitude. Her genuinethank youhad caught me off guard, stirring emotions I'd rather not confront.

"Why couldn't she just argue with me?" I grumbled to myself, preferring our usual heated exchanges to this newfound vulnerability. At least before, I had my anger to latch on to her ungratefulness. Now? Besides images of her bewitching body haunting me through my dreams, I was about to see her as a person—a person bearing the same mating marks as me.

As if that wasn't confusing enough on its own, now I had to contend with the possibility that fate—or whatever cruel cosmic joke this was—had tethered us together. I couldn't dismiss her, couldn't push her away, not when the marks burned like a constant reminder of what we were supposed to be. Worse, I couldn't stop thinking about her vulnerability, her strength, the way her sharp tongue hid an aching soul. Damn it. I didn't want to care, yet it felt inevitable.

And that terrified me.

The corridor seemed longer than usual, my steps heavy with conflicting thoughts. She had looked an enticing mess upon waking. Her brown, curly hair had been in disarray, her eyes alittle glassy, most likely from lack of sleep—now that thought cheered me some because I could fully blame her for not getting the night's rest I deserved. Her tossing and turning kept me awake, not anything else. Definitely not dreams of forests.

From the moment I entered the nourishing station, my body moved on autopilot, filling first a bowl for her and then one for myself, wondering what she might like. Without me realizing it at first, my mind remained fixated on her. I couldn't shake the memory of her defiant eyes, the way her lips curved into a sarcastic smile when she challenged me.

"This is ridiculous," I scolded myself. "She's just another human. Another exasperating, spoiled human with hundreds of demands. Nothing special."

But even as I tried to convince myself, I knew it was a lie. Hannah was unlike any being I'd encountered in my years as a Space Guardian. Her resilience and fierce spirit called to something deep within me—something that must have lain dormant. Yes, she was exasperating, and yes, she was acting like the other humans, at least in part, but she wasn't as useless as the others. With nothing left to fight, she had bit the disgusting Rnnyer's cock off. I still had a hard time wrapping my head around that.

She had to have known that she was the only human surrounded by aliens for light years. The sensible thing to do in her situation would have been to lie low and wait for a chance to escape. But not her. Oh no, she wasn't a person to swallow her pride and succumb. She was a fighter. She would go out in a blast of fire, not submitting. Never that.

A small grin spread over my lips. Yes, there was plenty to admire about a spirit like hers. No matter how much we'd been butting heads, I was starting to like her. Some.

I sat at an empty table, staring at the two plates of food, only then realizing what I had done. Getting food for her. Like a servant. Or some love-besotted idiot. The same kind of thing abondedmale would do! Frygg!

Whether we liked it or not, we were bonded for whatever reason. I put my elbows on the table and buried my face in my hands to drown out the flow of curse words leaving my mouth.

I needed to get to the bottom of this if I ever wanted to have a chance of getting out of this bond nightmare scenario.

"Get it together, Tharaax," I muttered, forcing a spoonful of nutrient-rich paste into my mouth. "You have a job to do. Feelings have no place in this mission."

But even as I repeated the mantra, I knew it was futile. Hannah had wormed her way, literally, under my skin. I wasn't powerless to stop it, though. Not completely. I just needed to figure out why.

Just then, the object of my misery strode into the room, her eyes blazing with that familiar mix of curiosity and defiance.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite captor," she said, sliding into the seat across from me. "I have questions, and you're going to give me answers."

I sighed in relief. This Hannah, I could handle much better than the one telling me thank you for saving her. I pushed the extra bowl toward her. "Eat first. Talk later."

"I eat, you talk," she demanded.

I fought like hell to keep my chuckle from breaking through my chest, but frygg, I was beginning to enjoy her bossiness. I wondered what she had done on Earth for a job. I imagined her working in an environment where she ordered other people around. She was good at it.

As she reluctantly began to eat, I found myself launching into an explanation. "We're headed to Astrionis. Lord Protector Garth and his wife Silla are setting up a colony there."

"Why?"

"Why what?" She confused me.