Page 19 of Pulled By the Tail
“I don’t know—” She felt faint. Never in her life did she feel like she would faint, but her equilibrium had been thrown off, perhaps from the new gravity, but that didn’t make sense because the ship had adjusted to Corravian gravity weeks ago. She wondered what a panic attack felt like.
The world spun and she didn’t think she could be upright for one more moment.
Talent laid a steady hand on her arm. She leaned into him for his warmth, and she was so cold and her legs just couldn’t function anymore.
What a fucking mess—but what did she expect? She ran away from her messed-up life on Earth and just found herself a new mess. God, she was a worthless idiot.
“Are you well?” Talent asked.
“No, not at all,” she muttered. She wanted to hide and bury herself under a pile of blankets, to forget the humiliation of this moment.
“I don’t know what he’s playing at. I’m sorry.”
The sincerity in his voice pulled her from her spiral of doubt and despair. Her head snapped up, finally noticing the man who held a gentle arm around her waist. He had warm, honey-colored eyes that looked down at her with concern. His complexion was a deep amber with dark stripes. One bisected his right eye, which made the eye seem brighter somehow. His russet hair had a patch of white that started at his crown and fell forward in a careless tumble. She was certain that was the only careless thing about the alien male.
His ears, triangular with a small tuft of hair at the tip, moved forward, waiting for her response. He smelled of spice, citrus, and harsh chemicals, like paint remover, a surprisingly pleasing combo.
His lips stretched back into a grin, no doubt to put her at ease, but the white fangs peeking out negated any sense of comfort. Those wickedly sharp teeth stole her focus.
She opened her mouth but only emitted a squeak. Any possible response emptied out of her head and he was the most terrifying and sexy man she had ever seen.
“She’s for you,” Quil said, dragging her attention back to the luminous smile on his pretty face.
The contrast between the two brothers could not be more obvious. They shared similar features—coloration, careless hair—but their similarity ended there. Quil was empty charm and just a bit sleazy.
How did she ever allow that smile to charm her?
Talen seemed solid and reliable, with sincerity in his awkward and just a teeny bit terrifying smile.
“For me?” The question rumbled out of Talent, low and menacing. He sounded about as thrilled as she felt, meaning not thrilled. At all. Zero titillation happening at the moment.
“A mate! A pretty little human. Only the best. What do you have to say? You don’t need to thank me,” Quil said, tail waving and his entire posture announcing loudly that he did, indeed, expect to be thanked. “You’re speechless, I know. My generosity astounds even myself.”
Talen moved swiftly, striking Quil in the chest and grabbing him by the ear. The male folded in half, hissing in pain. He struggled to pull away but when Talen snarled, Quil stilled.
“What are you doing to Quil-boo? You’re hurting him,” Fiona wailed. She pounded on Talen’s arm, her fists practically bouncing off his sculpted biceps.
He ignored her and focused his attention on Quil, tugging his ear until he knelt on the ground. “You are selfish and dishonor our family,” Talen growled. “I am ashamed to call you brother.”
“Talen—”
“No! You think of only yourself. You wanted that damn plant and we allowed you to uproot our lives to satisfy your whim. You wanted a mate and I thought nothing of it when you brought that one home. All this time you had two mates. You plan to start your own harem?”
Georgia coughed. A harem? Not happening.
“The contract with the agency was vague—” Talen gave another harsh tug and Quil whimpered. “Check the contract. It does not say that she’s mated to me, just an Achaval male.”
The blonde continued to pound on Talen, who continued to ignore her. This was chaos. She just needed peace and quiet to think and check that damn contract, and possibly send a strongly worded message to Celestial Mates.
“Enough,” Georgia said.
Everyone ignored her. Fiona cried. Talen growled. Quil groveled. A Tal female arrived, her complexion silvery in the fading sunlight, and she scolded the brothers like a mother. She had to be their mother. Judging by the tired slump in her shoulders, she was too used to Quil’s… whatever this disaster was. Shenanigans sounded too lighthearted.
Mischief.
Yes, that was the word. Quil’s mischief.
“I saidenough!”
