Page 25 of Entangled by the Alien Mercenary (Monster Mercenary Mates #4)

Tasseloris

Elyssa was laughing, and that always made the room seem lighter. I could see several heads turn her way, and I made sure to glare at each staring male so they knew not to do it again. The nearest one, Raukesh, received a slap to the back of his thick skull with one of my vines. He hissed, his battle-form reflexively hardening his already tough Tarkan skin. Then, he ducked his head and hunched down over his food.

Rising, I made my way to where my mate was hanging off the counter, where the food was lined up. She was chatting with Brace, who appeared to ignore her except for the occasional grunt, but she was resolved to keep her friendship with the reclusive male. He didn’t stare at her, not even when she was laughing so brightly, so I was okay with it.

My mate had been on the Varakartoom with me—safe and sound—for the past five days while we got things sorted with the authorities. Showing up with an injured plantist and an Entling had caused quite the stir. Thankfully, Dravion was a masterful doctor, and he’d patched me back up in no time. The Iredese on my left temple were still regenerating, but other than that, I was almost back to full strength. Nelly was still bringing me Virad berries from time to time, and though they wouldn’t really help with the healing process on a closed wound, I dutifully applied them to the missing Iredese each time she did.

Currently, the little pink Entling was sitting prettily astride my mate’s shoulder, surveying the rowdy crowd of lunch-goers inside the mess hall with a curious expression on her face. She’d come a long way from the time she hadn’t even wanted to enter a cave because the rock would force her to leave the dirt she’d once grown in—the dirt that had nurtured her. But she’d made herself at home in my bunkroom, which my former bunkmates had moved out of so that I could have privacy with my mate. I’d stripped one bunk of bedding and applied a nice cover of soil for Nelly, and she seemed to love her new home.

Slipping my arm around Elyssa’s waist, I tugged her until she was in my arms. She giggled, flapping a hand at Brace through the small gap beneath the hatch. “Later,” she said, and then she drew her arms around my neck and kissed me. Touching the Caratan chain on her cheek with my thumb as we kissed, I relished the tinkle and click of the medallions there.

The first thing I’d done when I’d woken up in the med bay was order new medallions for her—specifically, the medallions for clan and family. Elyssa had been the last surviving member of both back on Elrohir, and family had been tainted for her by her brother. She’d deserved a fresh start, a new place to make her home. It was a little unconventional, what I’d done, but the click of the medallions made her smile against my mouth, so I knew I’d done it right.

Captain Asmoded had medallions made with the sigil of the Varakartoom for Elrohirian crew members who wanted to include it on their Caratan chain. That one had been easy, and it now took the place of the clan medallion on Elyssa’s chain.

I’d also had Ysa, our engineer, carve a small wooden one with a tree on it. That was her family medallion, and it represented us—me, her, Nelly. Our little family. Traditionally, they should all be made of gold, but it had seemed right to make that one out of wood.

“You’re still determined to ignore all calls from your mother?” Elyssa asked me as she gazed earnestly into my eyes. Another new development since I’d woken up in the Varakartoom’s med bay. My mother, who’d once kicked me out of the family for failing to succeed as a plantist and uphold my grandmother Nelumbo’s good name. No, I had no desire to please her in anyway. I was done with that part of my life and ready to embark on the next stretch of the journey. That would only include people who valued me for me—like Elyssa, like Nelly, and like my family aboard the Varakartoom.

“No, she can forget about me all over again; she did it once before. Come, I’ve got a surprise for you,” I said, swinging her into my arms. “Tomorrow, we leave. De’tor escaped, but we’re going to have fun playing pirate for a while and harassing Jalima’s ships.” In the meantime, I was going to woo my female as much as I wanted and make love to her in a proper bed as much as she’d let me. Which, thankfully, was a lot.

“What kind of surprise?” she asked slyly, her sapphire eyes dancing with happiness. I picked her up in my arms, laughing when that made her yelp. Nelly scuttled from Elyssa to cling to my shoulder, making cutesy noises and offering me a Virad berry that she waved in front of my face with her leafy fingers.

“You’ll see. Won’t you?” I said, tilting my head so the Entling could wipe the berry on my temple. Then I carried my mate off to the sound of catcalls and whistling from the mess hall, my grin huge when it made Elyssa blush a delicious pink.

THE END