Page 40 of The Alien Warrior's Mate

“His interface must be jammed. No worries. Rune will fix that. He’s amazing with technology.”

“That’s what we’re hoping for.” Sara turned and stared at Enthara who marched behind them, her head down and her eyes a dull yellow. “I think she’s sick.”

“Poor girl.” Ga Eun rubbed Enthara’s nose. The dinosaur nuzzled into her palm and made a soft noise.

“I’ve been wondering. What exactlyisEnthara?” Sara whispered.

“They’re calledzaptenand they’re sentient, but they’re not as evolved as we are. Plutonians pass them down from father to son. Most of the males worked on building their zaptens and they can only be activated by their masters.”

But I activated it. Sara didn’t share the thought.

Ga Eun continued her explanation. “Zapten can form exoskeletons around their masters. ThinkPower RangersmeetsTransformers.”

“I’ve seen it.”

“Cool, right?”

“Very.”

Ga Eun threw her head back and laughed. The sound reminded her of a tinkling stream, and it echoed over the mountains, creating its own sort of music.

Sara couldn’t help the grin that spread on her face in return. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I just had a thought that I probably looked as shocked and overwhelmed as you when I first came here.” Ga Eun brushed her hair back. “I swear I’ll give you the full rundown inside, but first we need to get to my place. It’s not safe to be standing out here like this. Your Plutonian knows this as well.” She gestured to Korben.

“Oh. He’s not mine.”

With a knowing smirk, Ga Eun grabbed Sara’s hand and pushed her sleeve up, exposing her birth mark. To her surprise, Sara noticed that the mark had begun to change. It had taken on the shape of a face. A face that looked a lot like Korben’s.

“What is that?” Sara gasped.

“It’s like a wedding ring.” Ga Eun nodded to Korben. “Each Plutonian has a mark on their arm at birth. When they find their mate, the mark takes on the shape of her face and the female’s mark…” She tapped Sara’s arm, “takes on the shape of the male.” Ga Eun smirked and showed her own birthmark that looked like a tattoo of her mate’s face. “But given that your mark isn’tallthe way in yet, that means you and Korben did enough to each other that you made these appear.”

A vision of her thighs trembling around the alien’s head filled her mind. Sara coughed and asked, “But I’m not Plutonian. This is just a regular birthmark, isn’t it?”

“To be honest, we’re not so sure about that,” Ga Eun said. “Rune has his theories, but it’s hard to confirm anything.”

Emma’s words from their time in the holding cell came back to her.

“It’s almost like they were looking for something.”

Korben met her eyes and she quickly looked away.

“You said Korben is a Plutonian?” Sara clasped her hands in front of her. “Is that what they’re called?”

“Yes.”

“Are they from Pluto?”

Ga Eun chuckled. “No. They’re from this planet. Planet Torren. Plutonian is just what their names translate to in English. I can’t pronounce some words in their language for the life of me.”

“Oh.”

Korben grunted in the background, his voice agitated. Enthara’s eyes turned a bright, warning yellow.

Sara leaned over and whispered, “Why are they arguing?”

Ga Eun turned fully to her, stopping in the middle of the path. “Rune is the only authorized Plutonian mechanic in this part of the planet. He can fix zaptens and refuel them. Which is what he’s going to do for Enthara.” She gestured to the dinosaur. “Because of that, he’s got a huge waiting list. But he invited Korben to skip ahead.”