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S omehow, rational thought asserts itself over the giggly part of my brain which is about to give in to the handsomeness of Darax.

The pod chimes, and the canopy disappears in an instant.

Darax stares at me before blinking slowly.

“Oh, are we done?” I say briskly. “That’s a relief.”

My lips are still slightly rough where he kissed me, my lady parts the only remaining bits of my body which are tingling like mad.

I kissed an alien…and I liked it.

I also can’t imagine this is going to lead anywhere good. So, I sit up and look around.

The other pod is empty of Lydia. My cheeks color at the thought she might have worked out what was going on in our pod.

Darax stretches out luxuriously, his tail flopping over his abdomen, a large bulge where his genitalia should be. He pulls at his tail before his hand descends further and scratches himself.

I guess males are males, whatever galaxy you find yourself in.

“Lord Darax, we’re docking with Vorostor Central.” A metallic voice comes out of nowhere.

Darax sits up with a sigh and a puff of smoke from his nostrils.

“This is going to be interesting,” he says, swinging his legs over the side of the pod and then helping me out.

“What is?”

“Dealing with the other warlords.”

There he goes with the word warlord again. It sends a chill down my spine, knowing what Darax and the others do.

They’re alien mafia, with extra inbuilt weaponry. They blew up the ship Rosalie and I were on for fun and to send a message to other pirates.

I can’t imagine being on their bad side.

“Why do you have to deal with them?”

“Dalox will want to know about the escape pod in his sector for a start.” Darax runs his claws through his long hair. “And they’ll want to know why I stopped that particular Bloar ship.”

I refrain from asking why he didn’t tell them in the first place.

Darax is staring at me again. I feel like his gaze is going straight through me.

“I don’t think I want to tell them about the hoo-man females,” he says.

“Why? Are we a bargaining chip?” I retort, far angrier than I intended. “Because I can tell you right here and now, Rosalie and I don’t belong to anyone, let alone you.”

The corner of Darax’s mouth twitches.

“Little snack,” he purrs, hips swinging as he cages me against the side of the pod. “I don’t want any of the females save for you, but I know you won’t go anywhere without them, so I don’t want the other warlords laying claim to any of your species.”

Darax is a sly devil to say the least. It seems he might have thought of everything.

“I can’t speak for the others. It has to be up to them what they do.” I fold my arms and glare at the big scaled alien whose lips are still as kissable as they were in the pod.

Only the pod did strange things to my mind, even if it does seem to have healed up my cracked ribs. My breathing is significantly less painful.

And my aversion to small spaces, filled with great big Sarkarnii? Probably something I should avoid in future if I want to keep my head.

Whatever happened between me and Darax, it had to be due to my pain and terror at being locked in a small space.

It can’t be anything to do with the fact he’s handsome, mostly, if not always naked, and has a body which would make most human men go green with jealousy.

I mean, obviously I can’t help but look. I mean, what red-blooded woman wouldn’t? But it shouldn’t color what I feel about him.

Wait. I have a feeling about Darax?

We reach the airlock. It’s open and this time not to the outer atmosphere. We appear to have docked with another ship.

“Where are the others?” I ask.

“They’ve already been taken to their new quarters,” Darax says. “I gave orders they should be quarantined. I will take you to mine, and then I need to arrange a meeting with the warlords.”

“I can’t stay with you,” I blurt out.

Darax looks at me briefly, and it’s like I’ve kicked a puppy before his gaze hardens. “You are mine.”

“Look, I don’t know what this is between us, if it’s anything, but I want to see my friend, and I want to find out more about the women she’s with. Besides I need to speak to them about being kept hidden from the other warlords.”

I look around me. The ship we’re on is similar to the one we’ve exited. I can’t work out if we’re in space or not.

Darax releases a long stream of smoke. There are a few sparks too, something which indicates his frustration as far as I can tell.

“Come with me,” he growls. “I will take you to them. But I expect you in my quarters later.”

“You do know ordering me to be with you isn’t going to work, don’t you?” I trot to keep up with his strides as we make our way down a bright, clean curved corridor.

Darax glances briefly at me before his jaw sets once again.

I don’t think he did.