Page 9 of Zayrik (The Protectorate Warriors Alien Fated Mates #6)

Zayrik

I WATCHED HER STIFFEN . A fraction of a second, barely enough for anyone else to notice.

But I noticed. Because I was trained to.

Nyla’s lips curved, her expression shifting into something playful, something deflecting . “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I didn’t move from the wall. Didn’t look away.

“The ship’s registry points to this being a smuggling ship.” My voice was calm. “And I think you know that . ”

Her smirk flickered. Just for a second.

I pushed off the wall, stepping closer. Caging her in without touching her.

“I don’t believe in coincidences, thief.” I tipped my head. “Who exactly did I piss off by winning this ship?”

She exhaled through her nose, arms folding tight across her chest. “No one.”

I arched a brow.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Probably no one.”

I hummed low, a sound meant to remind her exactly how unimpressed I was.

“The docking officer knew,” I continued, pushing . “The moment I won that data chip, everyone at that table suddenly got real interested in looking anywhere but at me.”

Nyla didn’t respond. Didn’t deny it.

Good.

Because we were past playing dumb.

I stepped even closer, forcing her back against the bulkhead.

The corridor left no room between us. I felt her heat, her breathing shift as I leaned in.

“Who were you running from?”

“I already told you.” She muttered, looking anywhere but at me.

I exhaled. “See, here’s the thing, Nyla—” I leaned in slightly, letting her feel my presence. “The second you passed out bleeding on my ship, you pulled me into something.”

She swallowed. Not fear. Frustration.

Like she hated that I was right. Like she hated that she couldn’t argue.

Nyla’s fingers twitched, but she didn’t push me away. Didn’t break eye contact now.

Instead, she inhaled slow, steadying herself.

Then, her voice was quieter. Not defiant. Not playful. Just... resigned.

“You shouldn’t have helped me.”

My jaw flexed.

Wrong answer. I grasped her arm firmly, avoiding causing pain but preventing her from escaping.

“Come with me,” I growled.

The cockpit door hissed open, and I released her. She stepped to one side.

I moved past Nyla, arm brushing against hers as I hit the console panel, pulling up the ship’s flight history. The movement put us closer, her back pressed against the wall, my body nearly flush with hers.

The display glitched. Damaged from earlier, but the logs were still there. Too clear. Too specific.

She saw it. And froze.

Long before I won this ship, it had been part of a supply chain. Not just any supply chain.

A highly controlled, highly monitored one.

I tapped the screen. “You recognize this, don’t you?”

Her breath hitched.

Not much. But enough.

Enough to tell me what I already suspected.

Nyla knew what this ship was. Knew who it belonged to .

She didn’t answer.

Didn’t need to.

I saw it in the tension of her shoulders; in the way she pressed her lips together like she was swallowing something bitter.

Her eyes flicked to my mouth just for a second, and heat curled low in my chest, dangerous and stupid.

I ignored it. Mostly.

I tilted my head, dropping my voice. “Exactly how bad is the trouble you’ve just dropped me into?”

Her fingers curled against her sleeves.

Then finally, her eyes met mine.

And her next words? Didn’t make me feel any better.

“...Bad.”

A soft trill from inside her jacket reminded me of Zep’s watchful presence. The little creature poked his head out, eyeing me with suspicion.

“Define ‘ bad ,’” I pressed.

She was close enough for me to see the detailed emerald highlights in her green eyes and a subtle scar near her left cheekbone. Close enough that when she exhaled, I felt the warmth of her breath.

“The kind where people disappear,” she said quietly.

My gaze dropped to her rosy lips, lingered longer than I should have allowed. “And yet you’re in the middle of it.”

“Not by choice,” she murmured.

I raised my hand, intending to push a strand of hair from her face, then caught myself. The mating mark on my biceps pulsed, a steady, insistent warmth that seemed to intensify the closer we stood.

“Look,” she said suddenly, her voice stronger. She placed a palm against my chest, as if to push me away, but didn’t apply pressure. “You got caught in something that has nothing to do with you. I’m sorry about that. But trust me, the less you know, the safer you are.”

The contact of her hand sent a jolt through my system, intensifying the strange warmth spreading beneath my skin.

“Too late for that,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “I’m already involved.”

Her eyes searched mine, something vulnerable flickering in their depths. “Why do you even care? You don’t know me.”

Nav’s voice cut in unexpectedly from her wrist device. “Perhaps it’s the primal biological response his species demonstrates when—”

“Shut up, Nav,” she hissed, color rising to her cheeks.

I couldn’t help the slight smirk that curved my lips. “Your AI’s observant.”

“My AI’s a pain in the ass,” she muttered.

“I prefer ‘realistically cynical, ’” Nav responded.

Zep chirped in apparent agreement, making Nyla roll her eyes.

“Great. Now you’re all ganging up on me.”

I hadn’t moved away, and she hadn’t pushed me back. We remained close, too close, the air between us charged with something neither of us was acknowledging.

“What do you know about Vask?” I asked quietly.

Her expression shuttered immediately. “Why?

“Part of my mission,” I admitted. “Intelligence gathering. Tracking potential...” I paused, considering how much to reveal. “Threats.”

“Your mission,” she repeated, eyes narrowing. “For the Protectorate.”

I nodded once.

She laughed, a bitter sound. “And now you’re wondering if I’m one of those threats.”

“Are you?”

Her hand was still on my chest. I could feel the heat of it through my shirt, a counterpoint to the steady pulse of my mating marks.

“I’m the least of your problems right now,” she said, voice dropping to almost a whisper. “But if you keep asking questions...”

I leaned closer, drawn by something I couldn’t explain. “You’ll what?”

The challenge hung between us, electric and dangerous.

She tilted her chin up, eyes meeting mine with unexpected heat. “I might have to find a way to shut you up.”

The words sent blood rushing south so fast I nearly groaned. This wasn’t smart. This wasn’t rational.

This was trouble.

And I was starting to think I liked trouble a little too much.