Page 85 of The Alien Warrior's Heart

Had he been a second too late, he would have died without making things right with his mate. That bothered him more than the Heronas getting away, more than the crash, more than his own revenge.

Zar wanted Si-Moon.

From now on, he chose his mate over everything.

Thirty-Two

Simone

“He’s close!”She squeezed her eyes shut as the wind buffeted her thick black curls and tore at her tunic. Her fingers clamped over Korben’s strong shoulders and she sucked in a deep breath. “I can feel him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Her eyes popped open. “He’s there. In my mind. His emotions are getting stronger but…”

“But what?” Korben asked, turning to glance at her.

Simone didn’t answer.

Something in Zar was shifting. The rage… it… it was draining out of him. It felt like someone had pulled the plug and all the water was rushing down the sink.

But that was impossible.

Now that she knew what a mate connection was, Simone realized it had been established a long time ago. She had been able to feel Zar’s emotions and had been living with his hatred in her mind for a while. Fury had made itself at home. It felt like it was a part of her as much as it was a part of Zar.

No one could just pack up their anger and fold it away like that.

No one.

Something was wrong.

Even when Zar was mating her, the anger simmered beneath his desire. He would focus on her and, for a time, it seemed he had calmed. But the moment their pulses returned to normal, the rage would come sweeping back.

It was never truly gone.

And if it was now…

“Please hurry, Korben,” Simone begged, wishing the zapten would go faster. They were flying at warp speed thanks to Korben’s tricked-out machine, but it wasn’t enough.

She imagined Zar, lying in a bush somewhere, blown to bits by the Heronas.

The image scared her so much that she almost choked.

No.

Zar had to be alive.

Then why is his anger draining out of him?

Simone knew Zar’s vendetta against the Heronas was like his lifeblood. It gave him a reason to get up in the morning and to face a new day. It gave him the strength to keep moving.

“Please, Zar…” she mumbled.

Simone saw now that she’d been wrong to judge Zar for feeding on that anger. Everyone coped in their own way. The minute her stepfather died, Simone threw herself into forgetting all about her childhood.

She spent hours and hours on end in dark rooms with nothing but a computer and a keyboard as company, losing herself in another world.

Programming became her escape.