Page 60 of Secretly Mated To My Monster Alien Boss
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KIARA
“That wasamazing,” Kiara said as they landed on Deryg’s balcony, in a flurry of tattered clothes and disheveled hair. Well, hers was; Deryg’s hair was still silvery perfection as he righted himself, spreading his wings wide.
Cradled in his arms, Kiara snuggled close to his chest one last time before planting her feet on solid ground again. Her stomach instantly dropped back down, after levitating somewhere near her throat for the entire ride back to his apartment. No, not ride.
Flight.
Because Deryg, amongst his other many,manysuperhuman qualities, could also fly.
“So.” She turned around with a cheeky smile on her face, even as every muscle in her body protested at the movement. Honestly, even breathing was difficult after the night she had. “You have wings.”
And they were spectacular. They were silvery gray, like the rest of his body, and leathery, elongating straight from his muscly back. There was a massive claw at the end of each wing in the same shade of obsidian as his horns. The wings were large and powerful; like Deryg himself.
“All Deruzians have wings,” he said, his hands finding her waist. It was as if he couldn’t stop himself from these small, innocent touches. Like he wanted to feel her around him at all times. “They’re a very useful weapon when used correctly.”
“I noticed.” She winked up at him. “Any other secrets you’ve been hiding?”
She’d wanted the question to be light and funny–maybe he was hiding an extra horn somewhere on his body–but his face instantly changed. The smile he’d had all through their flight, as Kiara had gawked at zooming past buildings and trees, fell. The openness in his eyes turned guarded.
“I know my brother has already apologized, but I feel I have to do it again. I am sorry. I should have told you about Leyra,” he said. “I planned on discussing it after outda-te, but things got…complicated.”
“I think a robot army attacking our company is a bit more than complicated.” She rolled her shoulders back; every sore spot felt like someone had dug needles into her muscles and then swirled them around. “This feels like a long conversation and I want to wash off this night before we have it. Where’s that bath you promised me?”
Still seeming a bit guarded and apprehensive, Deryg guided her inside. His massive balcony, which only had a beach chair on it, was about as bare as the inside of his spacious living room. He had a simple gray couch in a sea of beige walls and white marble floors. No paintings, no mirrors, no photos. Not in the living room, not down the hallway, and definitely not in his bedroom.
But that bed of his…goddamn. An entire sea of dark gray sheets covered what looked like the softest mattress in all the universe. It was big enough for at least ten people. Maybe he liked sleeping with his wings spread out?
But stripped down to the barest essentials like this, the room felt like a sanctuary. The hectic sounds and lights of the city were kept at bay by the thick windows and opaque curtain.
“Not a big fan of decorating, huh?” she asked, marveling at how still the entire space felt.
“The Academy taught me I don’t need much to function optimally,” he said and nodded at Kiara’s ashy dress. “You’ll need a change of clothes.”
“Yes, the smoke clung to it like a two-week old puppy.”
Deryg pressed his hand to the wall and a door slid open. Behind it were his clothes, perfectly hung and folded. The human suits he wore to work were the same shades of white, black, and gray. But the other side of the closet was bright and colorful, filled with Deruzian robes ranging from pure silver to deep red.
“Ah, so that’s where you hide all the colors,” she said.
“Why would I need colors?” He asked with a grin as he handed her a robe in the same red shade as her hair. “I have you to brighten up my existence every day.”
Now her cheeks were as red as the robe. How could she resist when he said things like that and made her chest flutter?
“Flatterer,” she said.
“Truth-speaker.” He grinned and pointed to the door. “Bathroom’s that way, I’ll shower in the other one.”
“Thanks. See you in like five hours.” Kiara laughed. “But seriously, if I’m not out in like half an hour, send a search party, because I might just fall asleep in that bathtub.”
“Promise.” Deryg smiled.
And Kiara believed him. He’d ripped a robot with his bare hands when she was in danger. He wanted to protect her.
She turned before her smile turned too dopey. But before she had a chance to walk away, Deryg grabbed her hand.
“Before you go…” He spun her around, capturing her lips in a searing kiss filled with promises. Of hope. Of a future. Of certainty.
