Page 46 of Resisting the Alien Commander

Quinn freezes and her musky scent grows strong again. Interesting. Perhaps the idea isn’t so abhorrent to her.

“That is better. For now.” I pause to let that sink in. “And Alik being my cousin makes me nothing more than cousin to the prince and his heir.Ifhe were to die before me. Which will not happen. The only time you will be on your knees before me is when my cock is in your mouth.”

Quinn shifts just slightly and I mimic my cousin’s imperious brow raise. She instantly stops, but I can tell how much she fights against it. “You’re a bully.”

I kiss the tip of her nose. “Do you want to hear the rest of my answers or not?”

“Fine.” Her little huff after is adorable.

“I always wanted to be in the guards, but never had hopes of achieving the rank of commander. My father had been a lower ranking guard, which meant I would be as well.” I pause to remember when Garek pushed me to become more. A fact I will forever be grateful for.

“You still haven’t mentioned your mother. You don’t have to talk about her, if it’s too painful?” Quinn strokes my chest in the spot right over my heart.

“My mother is…difficult.”

“So, she’s still alive.”

“Yes. Queen Veroneek and she are sisters, but the two are nothing alike. In fact, I often wonder how they could possibly be related. We aren’t on speaking terms. At least, not until she wants to remind me of all my flaws. Then she makes it a priority to travel from her home in Haveeka to list them all so I don’t ever forget.” My gaze loses focus and I stare out at nothing. “I should warn you, she’ll be extremely unhappy to find out about us. Or at least to have her suspicions confirmed that I’ve met my heart’s fire.”

Quinn’s forehead wrinkles. “Why would she be suspicious of anything? It’s not as though I’ve ever met her.”

“Because she showed up here announced and recognized the signs that mating fever had hit me.”

“Oh,” she breathes out. “I see.”

“She will just have to deal with the fact.” I’ll make sure of it. “No more talk of my mother. We have much better things we can discuss if you’d like. You have not told me about yourself.”

“Like you, my father is deceased. He died in a horrible accident right in front of me when I was sixteen.”

I pull Quinn tighter against my chest and brush my lips over her temple. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

She raises and lowers her shoulder. “It was a long time ago, but thank you.”

“And your mother?”

For a long moment, she doesn’t reply. Then I hear a sniffle and a single droplet of water splashes onto my arm that rests over her thighs. Quinn swipes across her eyes with her palms.

“Sorry, I just really miss her. She’s the one who entered my name in the lottery and pushed me to come here when I told her I was refusing. In addition to Olivia, my mother is my best friend. Leaving her behind was the most painful thing I’ve ever done.” She sobs softly.

“Did you not want a mate?” Have I been so concerned with myself that I have disregarded Quinn’s wishes?

She shakes her head. “It wasn’t that. At least not entirely. I just didn’t want to have to leave my mom to get one, you know?”

My heart hurts for my mate. No one—not even my own father—cared for me the way she cares about her mother. “I am not sorry you came to Bohna, but I am sorry you and your mother have been separated.”

Quinn sniffs again. “Thank you. At least I’m able to talk with her over the comm. She and I actually spoke yesterday.” She pauses. “I told her about you. About the mating fever and the kiss.”

I draw my head back slightly. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

A strange nervousness settles within me. “What did she say?”What didyousay?

“She told me there were worse reasons to choose a guy than him being a passionate kisser who sets my blood on fire.”

An unfamiliar smile tugs at my lips. “I think I like your mother.”

Quinn chuckles. “I think she’d like you, too.”

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