Page 22 of Zayrik
A softnudgeagainst my wrist.
I looked down. Zep was watching me, head tilted, those glowing little eyes no longer suspicious, but curious.
His tail flicked once. Then, slowly.... so slowly, I felt him press his head against my hand.
Not attacking.
Not warning me off.
Just... accepting me. For now.
I froze, unsure what to do. Eventually, I moved my hand, carefully brushing it along the top of his head.
He made a low trill. Almost approving.
“I take it this means I’m not getting my face clawed off today,” I whispered.
Zep blinked at me. Then curled tighter against Nyla’s chest and closed his eyes.
I stood there for a long while, watching over them both. No orders. No mission. Just... a ship, a sleeping thief, and the tiniest guardian who’d just let me in.
It felt like a start.
I LET THE COCKPIT DOORslide shut behind me, exhaling. Almost two days. That’s how long until we reached the nearest outpost.
That’s how long I had to figure outwhy the hell this female was lying to me.
She was good at it. Most people fumbled when they lied. Their hands twitched. Their gaze flicked too fast. Their voices betrayed them.
Not Nyla.
She wascontrolled.Every reaction carefully calculated.
Except for the moments she slipped.
And those?
Those weretelling.
I rolled my shoulder, trying to ignore the persistent warmth of my markings spreading beneath my skin. The timing was impossible. Inconvenient.
Because my parents weren’t fated mates, I never learned about Alaran mating marks. I had a human mother, and my father never discussed the subtle etchings on his skin. Maybe he’d preferred my mother remained unaware.
My upbringing on an Alliance planet didn’t provide opportunities to learn about my Alaran heritage.
My time with the Protectorate brought stories of Alaran males finding their fated mates.
K’sha.The word echoed in my mind unbidden.
I pushed it away.
My hand carded through my hair.
I flexed my fingers against the console. Then pulled up the ship’sfull directory, letting my eyes skim over the logs again.
None of this was sitting right. The human who lost the ship? He wasscared.Not of me.
Not of losing a bet.
