Page 41 of Alien Jeopardy

But I do want to be mated to her, and I will have to ensure this tiny human creature decides I am worthy of being her mate. Her male.

I want to be worthy of her.

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

Ellison

Maybe if I close my eyes, I can get some more sleep. I can just pretend I’ve passed back out.

“Ell?” Rex’s rough voice says my name, but his hand is oh-so gentle on my forearm. “We won, so now we can enjoy a meal, yes?”

The translator in my brain is working, though the words are all slightly stilted and delayed as I process the sounds.

My stomach rumbles, and I open my eyes.

I don’t think I’m going to get more sleep right now.

Billie’s grinning at me, a satisfied cat-who-ate-the-canary expression on her face.

It pisses me off, and my fingernails dig into the arm of the chair. “You did a bad job naming the challenges on the wheel,” I tell her.

Billie’s grin disappears.

“You are hungry,” Rex interrupts. “I hear your belly.”

“I am hungry.” Why lie?

His orange eyes narrow, and I’m unable to look away from them. They swirl and move like molten gold, and a fresh wave of heat moves through me.

“I have not taken good care of you, little human.” Rex leans down so he’s nearly nose to nose with me, and I grimace, remembering that absolutely impulsive kiss.

How embarrassing.

“I’m not little,” I object. “I’m thirty-three.”

“You are little compared to me.” He nods his head, agreeing with himself.

Billie smooshes her palms against her cheeks, practically starry-eyed as she glances between us.

I scowl at her, uncomfortable from the heat making a nuisance of itself again, and uncomfortable with the gathered Roth, and the careful perusal of one of the most gorgeous specimens of malehood I’ve ever seen.

He blinks at me, his wings rustling.

Something winds around my ankle, and I gulp.

It’s his tail.

Everyone is quiet, still watching us, and it dawns on me that they’re waiting for me to respond.

“Food.”

I grimace. Ah yes, I am dazzling my forced mate with my intellect now. Maybe I should grunt and gesture some more, so he can do whatever the hell it was he did back at me.

A laugh threatens, and I clamp it down, making myself smile manically up at him.

“Yes, you want food?” he asks the question slowly, like I’m a toddler set to tantrum at any minute.