Page 78 of The Alien Warrior's Vow

He thought of what they had discussed with the Healer. His comrades had assumed the attack by the Ungazi had been random.

But what if they were wrong?

What if the destroyers had been drawn to this damas because they sensed a Plutonian and human child was forthcoming?

“If you’re looking for Emma, we kicked her out too,” Sah-ah said, gesturing to a table laden with treats. “She was working herself into a frenzy.”

“She made all that?” Lans’s eyes bugged when he saw the display.

“The woman was cooking like crazy. I know she bakes when she’s stressed, but I’ve never seen her so… intense. She must have been really worried about you.”

“Indeed.”

“Sorry. I don’t mean to talk your ear off.” Sah-ah shook her springy coils out of her eyes. “You must be eager to get back to your mate.”

He gave her a polite nod.

Indeed he was.

But the suspicion that Sah-ah was with child stuck with him.

Korben had told them of Ga Eun and Rune’s brood, but Rune seemed adamant about hiding his family from the tribas. Lans had not understood that at first, but he did now.

Eema meant the world to him. If he could sequester her away from this madness with the Ungazi and the responsibility of being an elder’s mate, he would. In a herasbeat.

Lans quickened his pace until he stood in front of the room he shared with his mate. The soundproof shields were still up. He pressed his hands against the holo and heard the familiar zap that proved they were on.

Good.

The Healer had instructed him to rest, but Lans had been missing Eema all day. It was as if her presence was his food and her laughter was his drink. If he did not have regular fills of her, he became weary.

He stepped through the door and heard something rattling. Stopping at the entrance, his eyes fastening immediately to Eema. She stood bent over a case of some kind. Instead of the suit she had worn for several sun rotations, she now wore a soft tunic that was similar to the one she had worn in his dream. The fabric fell over her curves and highlighted her ethereal beauty.

I cannot believe this female is mine.

Lans’s tattooed chest rose and fell with each hungry breath. He let the silence linger for a moment as he leaned against the doorway and stared at her.

Her body moved with such grace and elegance. Her long hair was as soft as her skin. He traced her eyes, nose and lips. Admiring her mouth made his pants tighten. They were full and curved. A lovely shape. Like tender flora. How he loved suckling on them. Loved when her mouth opened to receive his tongue. Loved the way she gasped in surprise every time she realized how long and flexible his tongue was.

Lans’s eyes slid down. Had he ever seen a neck so delicate? His mouth went dry thinking of how sensitive she was there. How his mouth nuzzled against her throat in delight. He’d lightly bitten her there and left a mark that he was proud of.

Eema whirled around.

The moment she saw him, she yelped. “Lans!”

“My heras.” He narrowed his gaze on her tunic. “You have changed.”

“When Tiegan dropped off Lilliana and Chozo, Ga Eun sent him back with clothes and things. Isn’t she sweet?”

“Indeed.” He moved toward her.

Her gaze turned skittish and she inched back. “How did the meeting go?”

“The Healer made us elders of the entire tribas.”

“Ofeveryone?LikeallPlutonians?”

He nodded, too distracted to devote himself to conversation. Since the moment he met Eema, he had been enraptured by her. It was more than her appearance that spoke to him. It was the way she carried herself—full of fire and fight. Unwilling to let her circumstances break her.