The Alien's Equal (Drixonian Warrior #7) - Ella Maven Page 0,39
her cheeks were still flushed from pleasure.
For a female who previously maintained a distance between her and everyone else—both physically and mentally—in sleep she clung to me. One hand curled around my waist while the other clutched my shoulders. Her breath coasted across my chest in little puffs of air. The lantern light flickered across her bare back, and I admired the way her spine curved down to the top of her perfect ass.
I never doubted my instincts, and I’d been right about Justine and I being right for each other. Fatas had blessed us. The way she’d responded to my confession about my failed promise to my mother only confirmed what I’d always known about her—she was smart, perceptive, and cared fiercely for those close to her. I was honored to be considered one of them.
A soft knock at the door made me yank the furs over my naked mate just as the door swung open. I growled at the intruder, expecting Gram, but an Uldani female froze inside the door, her eyes impossibly wide in her face. It was Mags, the one who we’d met earlier. I abruptly cut off my verbal warning. Justine shifted in the furs, mumbling something before flinging the cover back and looking over her shoulder. She blinked at our visitor a few times before reaching up a fist to scrub at her eye. “Hi, Mags.”
The female didn’t move. She stood in place like a statue holding a tray. Justine sat up with the furs held at the top of her chest to cover her nakedness. “You can come in.” She glanced at me with a frown. “Did you scare her?”
“I didn’t want anyone to wake you up.”
Justine laughed with a roll of her eyes. “I’m not a princess.” She waved to Mags. “Have you got food? I could eat a horse.”
“What’s a horse?” Mags asked as she took a tentative step inside.
“It’s an animal on Earth, which is not very tasty.”
“So why could you eat it?”
“It’s an expression. I actually don’t know where the expression came from and I can’t just Google it.”
“Google?” I queried.
“I really need to stop using so many Earth terms,” Justine muttered. She reached out a hand to Mags. “Anyway, food?”
Mags nodded and placed the tray beside Justine’s legs, who immediately curled her finger around the edge and pulled it toward her. I could tell she was a little disappointed at the processed, rationed food, but plastered a smile on her face. “Thank you so much. It was wonderful to get some rest, and we really appreciate you sharing your food with us.”
Mags relaxed and returned Justine’s smile. “Gram said to please join us in the common room when you’re finished.”
“Will do.” Justine shoved a meal bar in her mouth. Her throat bobbed and she placed a fist to her lips. Her eyes bulged and she shot me a panicked look.
Mags immediately grew concerned. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” I said. “Please leave us.”
Mags let out a little squeak and scurried off without another word, shutting the door behind her.
Justine gagged a few times before finally swallowing. “That was rude.”
“It would have been ruder to do that in front of her.”
Grimacing, she sagged her shoulders. “I know. Fuck. I appreciate their offer to feed us, but this is terrible.”
“I imagine the elites and royalty don’t eat this.”
“It tastes like what I imagine a twenty-year-old protein bar would taste like.” She gulped down some qua and wiped her mouth.
“I’ll eat this,” I gestured to the tray. “You eat the food we brought.”
“That’s not fair to you.”
I raised a brow and I responded by shoving a whole meal bar into my mouth, chewing a few times, and swallowing. I stuck out my tongue, curling it under my chin to show her the food was now in my stomach. She shook her head with a smile. “Okay, you win.”
After eating, we both used the cleanser. Afterward, I pulled on my pants while Justine sat cross-legged on the bed already dressed. “Do you have to comm with Daz?”
I shook my head. “Can’t risk it. We normally comm using the old towers, but in here, I can’t avoid the satellite picking up our communication. The Uldani are likely monitoring it closer now. He knows this mission could take anywhere from one to many rotations. They are on standby until they hear from me.”
“How would they know if we fail?”
I turned at the hesitation in her voice. “They’d know. The Uldani would gloat long and far