Page 31 of The Alien Warrior's Vow

She caught him watching her with a hard frown but, as soon as their eyes met, he looked away.

Frustration nipped her chest.

Why was he being so stubborn? Everyone else was making out, hugging, and whispering sweet words to each other. She was in the middle of a freaking alien Hallmark movie out here.

Annoying brute.

Unable to keep still, she nodded at Clavas. “Can you excuse me?”

“Go right ahead.” He swept his arm out, bowing slightly.

Her eyes locked on Lans, Emma stomped over.

The zapten’s heavy metal feet clopped against the ground. SheknewLans could hear her. The machine wasn’t in quiet mode right now. Still, he continued to talk to Tiegan, even though Tiegan’s face had already lifted to her.

She stopped in front of Lans. The exoskeleton was slightly taller than him, so she opened the hatch and stormed down the steps that Helix made for her. The gears clicked and whirred softly as Helix returned to her usual form for a stretch.

Lans finally looked at her, scowl in place. “Why did you leave your exoskeleton? It is time to go.”

“Why aren’t you looking at me?” She demanded.

“Must I look at you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you kind of do.”

“Why?” Lans folded his arms over his chest, bringing her eyes to his thick muscles.

She sucked in a breath, anger flaring inside her.

Tiegan cleared his throat. “I will… be over there.”

Emma barely registered the warrior’s exit. Her eyes remained fixed on Lans’s purple gaze. Adrenaline pounded through her veins, moving so thickly she thought she’d burst.

“Why do you care if I see you off or not?” Lans challenged.

“I don’t,” she snapped. “It’s just the polite thing to do. As my teacher, you should at least offer me one last word of wisdom.”

His stormy expression grew even darker. “I have no last words to offer. You are either ready or you’re not.”

She whirled around, embarrassed and hurt. “Jerk!I don’t want your freaking advice either.”

It felt like her lungs were on fire.

Her heart.

Her soul.

Why did Lans’s coldness sting so much? Was she feeling vulnerable because she was about to head into a dangerous situation? Was she losing her mind?

It didn’t matter.

She just hoped that no Heronas guards stepped in her way. Thanks to one infuriating blue alien, she was ready to kick some butt. And she was going to make ithurt.

“I don’t need you,” Emma mumbled, stalking toward the zapten that had already begun to transform back into its exoskeleton state.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and wrenched her around. She collided into a broad blue chest and knew, without looking at his face, that it was Lans who held her.

At first, she stiffened.