Page 4 of Zalis
He shrugged a massive shoulder. “You’re not on any government list.”
“People will notice I’m gone,” she said, trying to reason with the unreasonable. “I’m a business owner. My employees will know I’m missing. In five hours, to be exact, when I don’t turn the ovens on and start baking the bread.”
“Sign says you’re closed on Mondays.”
“Clarissa,” she nearly shouted. “She’s expecting a call when I get inside. She’ll know something’s up when I don’t call.”
“You’re not very good at lying. Do you know that? Your eye gets twitchy.” He pointed to his right eye, as if to demonstrate.
Gemma screamed, partly in frustration and the rest a healthy dose of terror, and rushed past him to the stairs. If she could get inside?—
A hard pull on her hair snapped her head back, and her feet vanished from underneath her. She fell back onto the wooden steps, landing on her tailbone hard enough that her teeth rattled. Stars danced in her vision.
Rough hands gripped her ankles, dragging her down. Gemma kicked wildly, wishing she had taken kickboxing or just regular old boxing lessons, but the class was right before the lunch rush, so she had to take Pilates instead.Pilates.
Her foot hit nothing, Barney dodging her kicks. Eventually, she made contact that resulted in a delightful crunching noise. There was cursing and a brief rush of elation as she scrambled out of his grasp. Fuck yeah, Pilates.
No such luck. Barney had a hold of her ankle and would not let go.
She dug her fingernails into the wood boards, desperate to hold on. Her nails buckled, bending backward, and rough splinters tore her fingertips.
He yanked her away, tossing her to the pavement.
Gemma scrambled, trying to get to her feet, but a kick to her side sent her back down to the ground. A heavy boot landed on her ankle with a crunch. Pain whited out her vision, and she knew there was no good ending here.
ZALIS
Ivon Ren was a liar.
It was intolerable.That malewas intolerable.
Zalis endeavored to see the good qualities in his team. They were not easy to get along with, but Zalis knew the same could be said about him. They merely had to work together. Friendship was not a requirement.
The team left Zalis alone to do his job, which was the most generous thing he could say.
Lorran was too charming. Bubbly and effervescent was an accurate description. Such easy, affable behavior was foreign to Zalis, but it was useful. Zalis understood that. Lorran followed orders and completed his assigned tasks. If he occasionally bubbled and effervesced while Zalis worked, it was tolerable.
Lorran’s mate, Wyn, pursued her own projects. She never bubbled or effervesced. He liked her.
Better still, neither was currently on the ship.
Havik was a straightforward male. Zalis appreciated his blunt delivery and lack of tact. The male was often too literal and lacked imagination, but that also meant he lacked the imagination to lie.
Thalia, his mate, lied enough for them both. Somehow, despite the fact that deception came as naturally to her as breathing, she also managed to be straightforward. She lied when necessary, stole from those who deserved it, and never hesitated to share her thoughts. Zalis appreciated that quality. He never had to mentally replay their conversation and analyze her words for hidden meanings. Thalia said what she meant. She could be as blunt as Havik in that manner. Zalis liked her.
Ren’s lies, however, served no purpose.
Correction. He had one useful lie.
Ren’s stature was not that of a typical Mahdfel. The idea of a typical Mahdfel was fragile, as the warriors came from several different planets and had varying physical attributes, such as color or number of limbs. Zalis’ appearance differed drastically from his father, who sported shaggy white fur over his body. It was common for the generations to share little resemblance. The bioluminescent reaction that made their tattoos glow connected them in ways that a shared complexion or a strong nose could not. Other unseen factors made a Mahdfel: their healing factor, large size, increased muscle, and heightened senses.
There was no typical Mahdfel appearance, yet Ren managed to fall below those relaxed expectations. Simply put, he was small. He could pass for a civilian. His body was a useful deception, infiltrating spaces and gathering information from sources that would never talk with a Mahdfel warrior. His entire being was a deception, and Zalis resented the male for it.
No. Zalis’ animosity was misplaced. Ren had no more control over his stature than he did. To dislike Ren for such a petty reason was insulting to them both.
Zalis had a better reason for disliking Ren.
The male had a mate—Emmarae—for years and never breathed a word of her existence. He summoned the team to Tholla, begged assistance to retrieve the missing sibling of his heretofore unknown mate and refused to answer any questions.
