Page 60 of Tail, Dark and Handsome: Celestial Mates
Soft and sweet, her lips met his. She opened to him, and he drank in the taste of her. Carefully, he kept his hands at his side. His claws were out, and he did not want to injure her. The differences between them in their anatomy were many, but he was willing to dedicate the time to study. He would learn the best way to please his human female and not injure her.
“Marigold,” he purred, taking pleasure in the feel of her name on his tongue. He pushed back a lock of hair and tucked it behind her round little human ear. Fingertips brushed the shell. “My regard for you grows day by day. You have seen my many failings. I am short-tempered and quick to judgment.”
“You have good qualities, too.” Her voice breathed and soft, like it might vanish in the vast expanse of dark space. He needed to capture her breath and carry that part of her with him, always.
“I judged you wrong and I am sorry for it. Tell me I have not damaged our relationship.”
“Nothing unforgivable. Just use your words next time and talk to me, okay? I hear that’s what grownups do.”
He pressed his forehead to hers.
This female. She did it again, making him feel important, wanted, like he was not the unfavored son or the undesired mate.
He cleared his throat, suddenly nervous about what he needed to ask. “Would you allow me to rub my face—”
“Are you better?” Zero asked from the other side of the door.
Marigold stepped away at the interruption.
“We talked,” she said, which was a wise decision on her part because Winter wanted nothing more than to swear and vow punishment. His kit was clever, yes, but he did not think through his actions. Locking them in the cargo hold was irresponsible, and anything could have happened.
The lights flickered before the alarm blared. He squinted from the harsh, flashing lights.
“Oh shit,” a muffled voice said.
Marigold
Not good.
“Open the door,” Winter growled.
“It’s stuck,” Zero said, worry squeaking in his voice.
So not good.
At the command panel next to the door, Mari verified the alert with the computer. The alarm fell silent, yet her ears still rang.
“Proximity alert. I need to get to the helm and now,” she said. The computer was more than capable of flying in empty space, but now it seemed convinced they were approaching obstacles.
“Proximity to what?” Winter asked.
“An asteroid belt.” Only the trickiest thing to fly through. Shields kept pebble-sized debris from punching a hole through the hull and tearing the ship to pieces, but shields drained power fast. Also, she had to navigate through a shifting field of massive fluffing rocks.
Winter stilled, his ears back and his tail at his side. He understood the danger. “Why are we headed into an asteroid belt?”
“Well, it wasn’t part of my flight plan,” she said, snapping with irritation. Her flight plan kept them well away from trouble and safe in the empty space. She bristled that Winter suggested otherwise. “It must have been changed.”
“Why would anyone change the flight plan? How? Did you leave it unsecured?”
“Oh, I just left the command screen open, completely unprotected without a password,” she snapped. “I don’t know how it was changed.”
She and Winter turned to the door, as if they could see through it to the kit on the other side.
“Zero,” Winter said.
“Uncle Chase needs us on Corra. He said it was important. I saved us four days. Four!”
Mari groaned. “You saved us four days by flying directly through an asteroid belt. They are incredibly dangerous to navigate through. Did you think maybe I diverted our path around it for a reason?”
