Page 22 of Made For The Alien Warrior

Korben glanced at his mate, his eyebrow nubs clenching. For a moment, Symphony thought he would argue, but his shoulders relaxed and he dipped his chin.

The Plutonian warriors filed out just as Emma strolled in with a tray.

“What did I miss?” Emma asked. “And where did Leel go? I thought she was in here.”

“She didn’t come back,” Simone explained.

Clavas nodded at them. “I’ll look for her.”

Lans squeezed Emma’s hip. “I will tell you what we discussed later.”

She blew him a kiss.

Symphony smiled slightly and watched the warriors leave. Their tails dragged on the floor. Korben seemed particularly troubled. She wondered why the mood was so subdued. Hadn’t she just proven that there was no creepy threat?

Tiegan lingered after the rest had gone. The bossy alien frowned hard in her direction. “Do not over-tax yourself.”

“I won’t.”

His purple eyes cut to Simone. “Watch her.”

“We’ll take care of her,” Simone said, waving him away.

Kia grinned. “Go.”

With one last severe look at her, Tiegan marched out of the room with the rest of the warriors.

“So fussy,” Symphony muttered, pulling dark hands into her lap.

Kia tossed her silky hair over her shoulder. Eyes glittering, she smirked. “Since when did Tiegan get that overprotective?”

“I know right?” Emma rolled her eyes as she set down a platter of what looked like fruit, bread and cheese on the table. “He’s worse than Lans.” Her pretty eyes slid to Symphony. “And Lans isterriblewhen it comes to being fussy.”

“Korben said he and Symphony touched lips.” Sara wiggled her eyebrows.

Simone’s jaw dropped. “He did?”

“I thought she just got here?” Emma scrunched her nose. “When did they have time to mate?” She swung her head around and spoke to the door Tiegan just left through. “Geez, Tiegan. Did you pounce on the poor girl the minute her spaceship crashed?”

Kia giggled.

Simone arched an eyebrow. “Is that what happened?”

Symphony nervously leaned away. “Guys, it’s not what you think. I didn’t crash here. And Tiegan didn’t kiss me intentionally. He was trying to save my life. It was just CPR.”

“Honey, it was much more than that,” Simone informed her, breaking off a piece of the alien bread loaf and setting it in her hands.

“In Plutonian culture, every form of intimacy is reserved for your mate. You don’t touch the sensitive parts of the body with another unless you’ve agreed to bond with them for the rest of their life.” Kia gave her a gentle smile. “Some Plutonians choose not to follow these traditions, but the ones who do…”

“Once they mate, it’s for life,” Simone said. Her curls trembled when she shook her head. She had flawless brown skin, brilliant brown eyes, and pretty lips. “Have you sensed his emotions through the neural connector?”

“I…” Symphony thought of the moments she’d felt Tiegan’s shyness or annoyance. “I’m not sure.”

“It’s probably because they haven’t mated properly,” Sara said.

“Trust me.” Kia winked. “When you feel it, there isnouncertainty. You know exactly what your mate is feeling.”

Simone groaned. “Zar is theworstwhen it comes to that because he’s got like… one emotion most of the time.”