Page 22 of Lorran
Yup, so not a honeymoon and disappointing all around.
“You don’t want me here?” She needed to hear him say it, rather than try to read his thoughts when her head still felt scrambled.
“This is a dangerous mission. What I want is immaterial. You will remain on the ship.”
“But if you didn’t have to answer a distress call? What are you expecting to find? Pirates?” She gasped with excitement at the prospect of an adventure. Adventure was so much better than a honeymoon. Well, good, but for different and less naked reasons. “Space pirates?”
His eyes narrowed. He stood, towering above her. In that moment, Wyn felt small, as small as she had been when that Mahdfel warrior rescued her nineteen years ago. Only this time she didn’t feel safe.
“Death,” he said. “I expect to find bodies.”
The rush of excitement turned to ice in an instant.
“Stay here. Do not get in my way. I do not have time for this,” he said, turning to leave. The partition rattled as it closed behind him.
Lorran
That could have gone better.
Lorran slunk back to the helm, turning over the encounter in his mind. He tended to her physical needs but understood he failed to address her emotional needs. How many newly matched females had he escorted through theJudgment? Each had their own unique response to their new mates and new lives. He thought of his brother’s mate, Hazel, and how she had wanted a connection, to make friendships and find her place in a new situation.
Had Wyn’s rambling chatter been her attempt at making a connection? And he chided her.
Shameful.
But necessary. His assessment of the distress call remained the same. Either the crew had perished due to the delayed response or it was a trap. He could not afford to be distracted by his new mate.
“I trust you are skilled enough to manage a gate,” Mylomon said.
“Yes, I have received all the basic training.” Gates. How insulting. The pilot simply entered a code, and the computer did the rest. “Shall I verify that I know which end of a blade to hold?”
Mylomon was not amused. The male brushed past Lorran, knocking his shoulder with more force than necessary. “I will attempt to rest. You have the helm. Try not to fly into an asteroid.”
Lorran took the helm. Briefly, he entertained the idea of turning the shuttle around and returning his mate to theJudgment. She would be disappointed, but she would be safe. Mylomon would be displeased. Furious, even. What consequences could he deal out that would hurt more than knowing that Lorran failed Bronwyn? Breaking his horns? A few bones? He’d heal.
Stars, he had only spoken a handful of words to the female, but he was already willing to sacrifice himself for her safety.
His brothers and father, however, would see his disobedience as another lapse in focus and responsibility.
He sighed, unwilling to disobey Mylomon’s orders and disappoint his family.
Chapter 6
Lorran
“What are you doing here?”
The female—Bronwyn—stood at the partition, as if she gathered the courage to enter the helm. She clutched a notebook to her chest like a shield, then lifted her chin. Striding toward the empty seat next to him with the confidence of belonging, he reluctantly found himself admiring her act of bravery.
Fucking hell, he did not want to admire her. He needed to stay focused on the mission. Her presence was a temptation, however admirable, that he could not afford.
“Asking the tough questions, I see.” She folded her legs underneath herself in the seat.
Stars. He had been an ass to her. He should apologize. His brothers set a terrible precedent for starting off badly with their mates, and Lorran followed suit.
She continued speaking, “Some grumpy guy told me I was thinking too loud, and he needed to get some sleep, so he kicked me off the bunk bed. Wow, I literally never imagined saying those words.”
And he especially did not want to like her because she was brave and adorable.
