Page 5 of Her Alien Mercenaries
It wasn’t until his scales tightened and he could hear the blood pounding in his ears that he understood what was happening.Shewas here. Somewhere.
He scanned the courtyard, seeking the source of the scent. Was this actually happening? It must be, but part of his mind still argued he had to be mistaken. Here? Now? He’d worked with these people for a year now. None of them were…
He finally saw her. The human held so still he hadn’t noticed her standing beside the director, almost vanishing into Saska’s shadow.
Quiet. Wary. Watching him intently. Did she already sense what was happening? Torren doubted it. Humans had never experienced anything like thesharhal, the mating fever, until coming into contact with his race. They would have to remember. This would not be a simple claiming.
He laughed to himself. What was he saying? He’d never heard of a simple, straightforward claiming. Mating and war were much the same in that regard. Neither process ever went according to plan.
He’d covered half the distance between them before he even realized he had moved. The closer he got, the stronger her scent, and the more certain he was.
“Mahaya.”The word came unbidden, a statement of fact. She was his mate. Their mate. The one they’d been waiting on for so long they’d started to give up hope.
The female stiffened, her eyes—brown, he noted, warm and expressive—widening as he approached. More details came to him. Her face was lovely with delicate features, and her hair was dark, long enough that she’d braided and bound into a knot at the back of her neck. The way she held herself made her seem shorter than she actually was, though he still towered over her. She was slender, too. With long limbs and subtle curves hidden beneath her loose-fitting outfit.
He barely noticed when the director addressed them, only catching the second half of whatever she said.
“I expect both of you to resume your duties next week once you get this…” She moved her hands through the air between them. “Sorted out. Good luck and congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he called out as Saska moved purposely through the crowd of curious younglings.
One of them took a step in his direction, and alarms sounded in the back of his mind. Curiosity would lead to questions, and questions would mean delays. That was unacceptable.
He held out his hand to her, overriding the urge to scoop her into his arms and take off before anyone could stop him. “We need to leave.”
She reached for his hand but stopped before they made contact. “Why?”
He did his best to sound calm and rational, which he thought was damn impressive, given he was anything but. “If we don’t depart now, the younglings will figure out what’s happened.”
“Oh.” She nodded, the skin on her cheeks darkening slightly. “You’re trying to protect their innocence. Of course. I should have thought of that.”
She placed her small hand in his, the softness of her skin making it almost impossible for him to think.
“Uh. What?” His brain managed to catch up. “What part? Thesharhal?” He chuckled. “They know all about the mating fever. We are much more open about such things than humans, I think. I want to avoid their questions.”
She glanced around, her eyes widening as she noticed they were the center of attention.
“Oh! Oh no. Uh, I mean yes. Yes, we should go.Now.” To his amusement, she tried to pull him along with her as she made for the gate leading outside.
He resisted her, not completely, but enough to slow her down. “Easy. If you bolt, they’ll be on us like a ghost cat on a squeaker.”
She took a quick breath and nodded once. “Right. Don’t show weakness. That’s what Director Firt told me.”
The younglings closed in, and Torren knew the possibilities for escape were dwindling. “Apologies for rushing this, but we’re out of options. Hang on, blossom. I’ll get us somewhere we can talk.”
He tugged her closer and then crouched, gathering her into his arms. Instead of acting shocked or even surprised, the female laughed and flung her arms around his neck. “Go, quickly. Before I come to my senses.”
Everywhere their bodies touched felt as if it had been seared by flames. He wanted to relish this moment, but that wasn’t a good idea. With his mate held tightly in his arms, he spread his wings and launched into the air, every downbeat of his wings lifting them higher.
Noises of disappointment followed them, but in seconds they were over the walls and away.
Without a communication link, the only way to speak to his mate was by shouting. Since that would allow others on the ground to hear, he opted to say nothing for now. At least, not to her.
However, he needed to speak to someone else.
“Zan. I found her.”He sent the subvocalized message via their private channel. Even as he spoke, he knew no words could convey the importance of this moment.Her. She was here. They’d found her.
Strike that. He’d found her. And he’d never let Zanyr forget it.
