Page 50 of Alien's Heart
Until Ruth.
Early on in what he now considered their courtship, he called her ruthless. Now, he saw the ways joys manifested in her otherwise cold demeanor and how it warmed her. How she lingered in bed in the mornings, sleepy and content before the day started. How she gave him her full attention. How precious these moments were.
He appreciated the brutal joy in her calculating ways. She was the kind of being who weighed all the risks, ran the variables, and did the necessary calculations before making decisions. And somehow, when confronted with an unexpected male, withhim, she chose to take a risk.
What she saw in him, he could not begin to speculate.
He was familiar enough with the dance steps and took every opportunity to brush his tail against her leg and to touch her exposed shoulder. If another Tal saw his behavior, he’d tease him for being so obviously possessive.
The song rolled into another, and they remained on the dance floor. Bodies around them moved to the music. The crowd was a mix of Corravian with their twisted horns, Tal with their tails, and even some humans. Nox had always considered humans to be plain in appearance. Yes, they had an adorable charm with their round eyes and round ears. Those round eyes were practically blind in the dark and their round ears were nearly useless. Lacking claws, they had no natural defenses. For all their vulnerability, if you mentioned this to a human, they’d threaten to disembowel you.
See, adorable. So angry with their flat, blunt teeth and dull fingertips. Humans were nice enough, but they never inspired his appetite.
Not like Ruth. His ruthless mate shone like a jewel. She was brilliant inside and out. That spark inside her called out to him from the moment he saw her photograph and had grown into an all-consuming bonfire of want and desire.
The music ceased. Ruth panted, perspiration on her brow. They exited the pavilion and sought a bench to rest.
“You finally came!” The female Tal—Serene, he reminded himself—emerged from the pavilion.
“Well, I finally had a date. You remember Distinction,” Ruth said, emphasizing the false name.
“How could I forget?” Serene responded.
Nox fought the impulse to inform her that he was not a meredate. He was her mate, but he could not make that claim, as much as his heart called out for her. Instead, he said, “You require hydration. Remain here. I will return shortly.”
“Thank you, Distinction.”
Nox greatly disliked hearing another male’s name on his mate’s lips, but that was a problem of his own making.
As he left, he heard a snippet of their conversation.
“What’s the occasion? Showing off your male trinket?” Serene asked.
“My boy toy?” Ruth laughed. “No. We’re celebrating. The fungus I infected the southern field with didn’t take. It’s resistant! I’ll need to confirm with further tests—”
He made his way through the crowd toward a stand selling beverages, turning over the conflicting emotions in his heart. He wanted to claim Ruth, to leave his mark on her shoulder for everyone to see. Even more, he wanted everyone to know that he belonged to her.
Yet he could not claim her, and it was entirely his fault. A female like Ruth deserved a partner who could commit to being with her every day for the rest of her days. He could not make such a commitment. If his true identity became widely known, if Ashen found him…if, if, if. Many possibilities, only one option. He would have to flee. He had a hundred selfish reasons to leave, his continued existence for example, and only one to remain.
ChapterSixteen
Ruth
Serene wore a polite smile.Ruth recognized it. Plenty of people put on that vacant, polite smile when she really got into talking about her work. Externally, they nodded and made little noises of interest. Internally, total snoozefest.
Everyone except Nox. He never faked interest.
“Sorry. You’re not interested,” Ruth said.
“It is interesting, but the nuance is lost on me,” Serene said, which was a perfectly polite and reasonable response. Her gaze swept over Ruth.
“He fixed up an old motorcycle. Did I tell you? We went for a ride. Me, on the back of a motorcycle. Can you imagine?” Ruth disliked being the kind of person who babbled about how great her boyfriend was, but she needed to change the conversation and it was the easiest topic. And much safer than divulging that Nox never seemed to wear shorts, although she did secretly approve.
Serene tapped a finger to her lips. “You look different. Happy. I have not seen this before.” She wiggled her fingers in Ruth’s general direction.
“You’ve seen me happy.”
“When you cried at the professor’s funeral? Argued with his greedy son? Hid because of rumors?”
