Page 17

Chapter Ten

Aboard the Aroagni

D rafe grunted as he paced the bridge, waiting for his males to receive clearance. “Is this wise, Aehort?” He spun on the uz.

Despite his servant status, Aehort was more intelligent than all the Qaldreths on this ship combined. Because of him, they’d navigated many galaxies to locate this tiny planet, the home to the strange corpse at the Senate.

“It is. My instincts, as untested as they are, led us here.” The orange male did not look away from the approaching space station orbiting the planet’s moon.

Drafe grunted again and resumed his pacing. Crossing the galaxies, they’d stopped at several ports, asked one or two questions, and left with the destination revised. Aehort’s success had removed the uz stigma. The Qaldreth warriors onboard now trusted that this Ivoy would lead them true.

As an unknown species to these Earthians, he had hoped to step onto the moon’s station without fanfare.

That was not to be the case. They’d have to play the ambassadorial role as decided by the Qaldreth Command Council.

Since Drafe had observed Vadril Ot’s behavior, they believed he was more than capable of mimicking him.

Drafe doubted it. He didn’t have the patience for diplomacy.

It wasn’t a natural skill for a Qaldreth warrior.

“I shall play the Q.C.C.’s role, Drafe. You be what you are.” Aehort’s ability to sense his inner turmoil was due to the sharing of his symbiotes.

Their shuttle descended to the docking bay, suction panels extending to hold the ship in place.

A hiss followed when the cabin pressurized, and the door slid open.

Before them stood a delicate Earthian female, no taller than his shoulder.

Her black hair cascaded down her back, similar to some Qaldreth females, except it hung from her head and wasn’t growing along her spine.

Behind her stood two males, gripping their useless weapons as if Drafe intended to attack.

He smothered a chuckle. If the Q.C.C. decided to decimate, these weak Earthians would not foresee it nor survive it.

“Greetings, and welcome to Earth’s Lunar Base. I am Cynthia de Beer, a human woman from Earth. Please forgive my guards; it’s protocol to come prepared for aggression.”

She held out a gloved hand.

Drafe stared at it jutting out in front of her without purpose.

Beer laughed and shifted it to grab his, giving it many shakes. She dropped his hand to step back. “This is how we greet each other.”

“Thank you for sharing this with us. I am Vizen Aehort Uz, Cynthia de Beer,” Aehort said, his Earthian language stilted. He offered his long-fingered hand.

She accepted it with a bright smile. “Please, call me by my first name, Cynthia.”

Their first names were at the beginning of their full names? He wasn’t to call her Beer? That mannerism felt wrong and offensive. He curled his upper lip.

“Please address me as Aehort Uz. I will accompany you for diplomacy. My Qaldreth warrior would like an escort to your most populated areas. We wish to learn about your species and observing is best.”

Drafe twitched, surprised at this detour in their plans.

Aehort gestured to Zuphayr aac Caah behind him.

He tensed with growing fury as Caah trailed Aehort and Cynthia.

A guard hovered, waiting for Drafe to acknowledge him.

He shoved out his arm, feeling stupid doing so.

The guard flipped his visor back and grinned, accepting his hand for a shake.

It was an odd custom but so were some of the Qaldreth’s.

“The name’s Tyler,” he said.

Wincing, Drafe shortened his name and applied human protocol. “Drafe.”

“I’ll take you to Moonstar. It’s the best bar here.” Tyler hesitated, running his gaze over Drafe’s body. “Is there anything you can’t consume?”

“I do not know,” he said. “I can scan it with a bio-dev to see if it is safe.”

Tyler led him down the tunnel and into an open space. High above arched the building’s ceiling with Earthians in various shapes and colors crowding the causeways. Many paused to study their passing.

Tyler tossed a smile at him. “They can’t decide if you’re alien or from Africa,” he said. “We have such dark skin tones too.”

Earthian females slathered his body with their avarice gazes, as if mating for pleasure was the norm.

Their attraction to him made him uncomfortable.

On Qaldreth, the warrior approached a female and only when the scent of her deepened, indicating she was fertile.

Drafe wasn’t certain he liked the roles reversed.

Tyler led him into a crowded room. The thick air hit him first, various scents—some biological, others artificial—assaulted his nose. He grimaced, fighting the urge to cover his face.

“Sit here. The air is cleanest under the vents.” Tyler must have noticed Drafe’s discomfort.

Folding his long legs to do so, he sat on the soft bench.

He leaned back to study the comings and goings of the Earthian species.

Random conversations reached his sensitive hearing.

A few males attempted to attract a female’s interest. One male owed another tokens—their form of currency.

Images and lettering flickered in holographics above the bar, suggesting moments of normalcy and hinting at their home planet.

Tyler held out a container. Drafe accepted, sniffing it. Water; chemically cleaned but safe. He thanked him and settled in for the long pointless watch, ensuring his eyes recorded everything. Males propositioned females, vice versa, or same gender, but intimacy was high on the agenda.

“You like this place?” he asked Tyler.

“It’s better than most,” he said, his blue gaze tailing a female striding into the bar.

Drafe admired the sway of her hips and the appealing softness of her light hair.

Her garment enticed, fluttering around her pale limbs and curves.

Her gaze surveyed the room as if she analyzed for threats.

A slight relaxation of her shoulders meant she hadn’t found anything of concern.

She slipped onto a seat at the bar, exposing muscled, scarred legs.

The urge to run an unarmored finger along her skin gripped him, and he scowled at the strangeness of the attraction.

“Who is she?” he asked Tyler.

“Never seen her, although I’m not sure I want to. There’s something lethal about her.”

“Lethal?” Drafe knew what Tyler meant but wanted him to share his impressions.

“She scans the room, lingering on those I know to be dangerous. Her posture is coiled, as if she could kill without hesitation.” Tyler sipped his dark beverage, licking his lips before continuing.

“That’s premium water she’s drinking, so tokens aren’t an issue.

She’s waiting for someone she cares about, glancing around every few minutes. ”

Drafe ran his gaze along her form. There was an eagerness every time she looked at the door.

Her body stiffened, and the smile spreading her plump lips shot a dart of need to his groin.

She leaped off the seat, throwing her arms around an Earthian male.

He was huge in comparison to the other males in the room, his skin almost as dark as Drafe’s.

She flashed a bright smile and gestured to him to join her.

Ordering him a beverage said she knew his preference.

“He has arrived.” Tyler slurped his water. “They’re not lovers, though.”

Drafe sliced a glance at his escort. Not lovers? Tension he hadn’t acknowledged eased from between his shoulders. Urging his symbiotes to improve his hearing, he eavesdropped on her conversation.

“What do you mean you’re not coming with?” Anger stiffened her spine as her cheeks flushed pink. He liked the color on her. “Why travel to get here then? Why not just send me a message?”

“I want to at least say goodbye, brat,” the Earthian male said, grumbling something under his breath that was too low for Drafe to decipher. “I needed to meet with your future boss.”

“My what?” she asked before taking a long draw of her water.

“I called in a favor. You start within the hour.” He pressed his wrist to hers, but she didn’t look down. “That’s the details. I’ll see you in two years when my service is up.”

Her shoulders slumped—her understanding of his situation clear. “Fine, Ande. In two years, we meet here. No excuses.”

“Glad you see it my way, Vic. Now try and find a young buck to breach you. No need to go into space still a prude.”

“A prude.” She hit him on the arm. Drafe relaxed further. They had a sibling relationship. She flicked a dismissive hand at the bar. “Like I could find someone here to share sex with me.”

“I’m going to try,” her Ande said, surveying the room.

She chuckled, the sound husky and alluring. “Only you would travel here to have sex with a random stranger.”

“True. If you don’t find anyone, Dieter the mechanic will do.”

Her answering grunt brought an unexpected smile to Drafe. She reacted like he would. If he understood the interaction correctly, she wanted to share sex with someone. If they were compatible, he would oblige her.

“Tyler.” Drafe removed his bio-dev from its holster strapped to his thigh and ran the device over the Earthian male.

He stiffened, his hand hovering above his antique weapon. “What are you doing?”

“Scanning to see if our species are compatible,” Drafe said, though why he answered the male, he didn’t know. Eagerness to spread the female’s thighs had him ignoring his usual self-inflicted boundaries.

“And?”

Drafe blessed the male with a bold grin while he re-strapped the bio-dev. “Good.” He shifted forward on the seat to rise, wanting to approach the female now. Her male friend had said she had one hour. Drafe grunted, wondering if it was too short a time to satiate his needs.

Ande pressed his cheek to hers and left for a group of males at the back of the room. There were such males in Qaldreth who preferred each other’s company. Drafe didn’t focus on that; instead, he watched her.

She spun the seat and studied the room with bold interest. Nervousness teased a corner of her mouth, revealing how uncomfortable she was.

Her gaze flicked over him but returned, settling on him with admiration and an arched brow.

She assessed his physique. Bolts of fire traversed his nerves, as if she caressed him where her gaze lingered.

He rose to his full height and strode toward her.

She too slid off her seat, meeting him halfway across the room.

When they were a hand’s width apart—her height reaching just above his shoulder, he paused.

Her scent hit him, enflaming his senses, and shaking his control.

Ozone and sunbaked rock infused the sweetness of her femininity.

Closing his eyes to inhale again, he groaned.

He unarmored his fingers and gripped her arms, running his hands up and marveling at the softness of her skin.

Her tiny scars beneath his touch whispered of her skills as a warrior who’d survived many battles.

“My name’s Drafe.” He forced the words through clenched teeth and ignored the gruffness of his voice. His arousal urged, burned, and throbbed, eager to explore this Earthian female.

“Vic,” she said, her voice lyrical and breathless.

“I am not Earthian, does this bother you?” He shifted closer to bury his face in her hair. She clasped his biceps, arching into his body. He liked that, how she fit against him.

“If we’re not genetically compatible, you’re wasting my time,” she said.

He stilled at her bold response, then chuckled, liking her bluntness. “We are well-suited.”

“Good.” She crowded him and latched her lips onto his. He jerked away, stunned. Confusion feathered across her features. His senses caught alight, reminding him of the feel of her lips on his, the nectar of her taste lingering there, tantalizing him.

“What was that?” He had envisioned removing her garments, spinning her, and plunging into her sweet depths wherever they were.

Being unprepared for this didn’t bother him.

He’d assumed she’d be his teacher like he would guide her in what pleases him.

Not this thing with her lips. Though, it had been enjoyable.

“A kiss,” she said and did it again.

This time, he held himself firm, granting her the right to taste him, to share his breath and soul.

He looped his arms around her and crushed her against him, lifting her off the ground.

Something leaped in his chest, pounding his heart, and stealing his ability to breathe.

His symbiotes reacted to her with uncharacteristic eagerness.

She buried her fingers in his mane, and his senses exploded, merging into a ball of intense need. Tightening her arms shot fiery darts to his arousal, dragging a growl from him. She was his, and he would have her many times to appease this craving.

“Ambassador Vizen Aehort Uz has summoned you to the ship,” Tyler said, holding out his hands to show he meant no harm.

Drafe groaned and released the female with reluctance while trailing his fingers along her curves. She blinked at him, lust clouding the soft brown of her eyes. Understanding dawned, and she stepped back to cup his cheek, her thumb brushing his now-sensitive lips.

“It was a pleasure, Drafe,” she said and left the room, her strides confident. Not once did she glance back.

“I waited as long as I dared,” Tyler said, throwing Drafe an apologetic look.

He ignored the Earthian male and dropped into the seat, leaning back to stare at nothing but the flickering images of the holographics.

“Give me a moment,” he said, his voice still hoarse.

A familiar face crossed his vision, and he focused on the holo.

“Is that her?” he asked Tyler. The flickering image of a female had hair of fire and red eyes, but the face was the same.

Those were the lips he’d tasted. “What does the lettering say?”

“Shit.” Tyler gaped, switching his gaze between the holo and Drafe. “It says she was an arena champion who died.”

“Arena? You endanger your females?” Fury gripped him, and he bounded out of the seat to grab the Earthian male’s shoulders.

“They battle women…females. We never pit them against males.”

“Her name?” Drafe released the male and raised his gaze to study her face. Hence the scars. Each was a badge of honor, proving her ability to survive.

“Victoria Harper,” Tyler said, shuffling out of reach.

Drafe grunted. The poor male didn’t know how fast or lethal a Qaldreth could be. “Return me to my ship,” he said, striding from the room. “Send me the data you have on her.”

“Why?” Tyler’s fear irritated Drafe, burning his nostrils with its acrid stench.

He sliced Tyler a warning glance. “I intend to finish what she started.”