Page 13 of His Little Morganite

“Look at Papi while I talk to you, then I’ll let the water out and refill it as warm as you’d like.”

“What if I get hypothermia?” I grumble. I really sound like a toddler.

He chuckles. “You won’t get hypothermia. I promise. The water in the basin isn’t going to get to a temperature lower than the room itself. This isn’t the Arctic Circle, Baby girl.”

Damn him. Why is he so smart and always right? It’s maddening.

“Why do I have to look at you? Just tell me what you want to say.”

“You have to look at me because I asked you to do so. I wouldn’t be a very good Papi if I let you manipulate me into changing my orders.”

I drop my shoulders, grumbling. I’ve never been so defiant in my life, probably not even when I was a toddler.

Another minute ticks by that feels like an hour because I’m shivering. Finally I realize I have no other options, so I tip my head back, but I do so with a scowl.

He smiles at me as if I’ve pleased him greatly. “There’s my good girl. I knew she was in there somewhere.”

I narrow my gaze further. “Don’t patronize me. Say what you have to say.”

He shows no sign of being affected by my disagreeable words. Instead, he strokes my arms with his thumbs. He’s been holding my biceps this entire time. “The quill behind my front teeth has several functions.”

For some reason, this unexpected declaration makes me shudder. I don’t think I want to hear more, but I have no choice.

“As you know, it can inject a serum that acts like an aphrodisiac, making you feel amorous. In addition, it can be used to inject a painkiller, which will be convenient if you ever get injured.”

I gasp. “Seriously?”

“Yes. If you broke a bone, I could quickly stop the pain and even inject as much as you might need for the doctor to reset it. Same with stitches or even just a bruise. Though I will point out that Eleadian males are extremely overprotective, so we don’t often let our mates get into situations where they might get injured. Nevertheless, accidents can happen even in our own backyard.”

“I guess you don’t need many doctors then if no one gets injured,” I respond in the sassiest voice I’ve ever heard come from my lips.

“On the contrary, part of our overprotective nature means we take our Little girls to the doctor with far more frequency than humans. We believe in preventative medicine. You will be healthier than you’ve ever been as you acclimate to my planet.”

I groan. Great. Doctors. My favorite. Too bad my internal sarcasm doesn’t ooze out of me. Or maybe it does. Probably so considering he’s chuckling.

“My quill has one more effective use.”

“I don’t think I want to hear this.”

Another chuckle. “Probably not, but you’re going to, and let me point out that your sassy sour demeanor is adorable and in no way turning me against you.” He lifts a brow.

Asshole. I don’t dare say that out loud, especially since he’s already indicated he intends to spank me for cussing, and whatever he decides is law because he’s far too big and powerful for me to defy.

“My serum can also be used to calm you. I can inject you with varying degrees of it if needed. I could give you a tiny amount tohelp lower your heart rate when you’re scared or angry. I could give you a bit more to force you to relax deeper. It will act like a muscle relaxant and prevent you from being able to fight me. I can also give you enough to totally make you unconscious so you sleep.”

I gasp. “That’s over the top, Ganrax.”

He lifts his brows, saying nothing.

I sigh. “Fine, Papi. Whatever.”

“There’s my sassy girl. I will use the serum when we enter the transport vessel so that you’ll sleep all the way home.”

This time I stop breathing. “Why?”

“It takes six months to get to Eleadia, Little one, and your human body needs to be in stasis for the trip. You wouldn’t survive otherwise.”

My voice rises. “Six months?”