Mate Abduction (Alien Abduction #9) - Eve Langlais Page 0,20
quite adept at reattaching limbs, although we’ve had lesser success with heads.”
Startled by the statement, she eyed him then realized he took her literally again. Rather than correct him, she found herself asking, “Have you come to your senses regarding that fated mate thing?”
“Would I have gone through the effort of bringing you here otherwise?”
In that moment, realization slapped her. She eyed him suspiciously and said sourly, “That information given to me by the purple dude. Makl. You bribed him to lie, didn’t you?”
“I told you fate would bring us together.”
“Paying someone to feed me false information isn’t fate,” she argued. “I thought you said you didn’t make me come here.”
“I didn’t. Merely started a rumor that you chose to believe.”
She glared. “You’re splitting hairs.”
“Why would anyone do that? It seems rather useless and detrimental.”
“It’s an expression. It means— You know what, never mind what it means. You seeded that rumor on purpose, knowing I’d hear it and come looking.”
“Don’t be angry because I outmaneuvered you.”
“Trapped me!”
He gestured to the forest at her back. “You may leave at any time. I won’t stop you.”
“Won’t stop me?” She snorted. “Kind of hard to do anything with your guts on the ground.”
“I don’t think you’ll kill me,” he stated with too much confidence.
Given he still held her knife, she snatched it and played with the sharp edge. “Maybe I’ll maim you instead.”
Why did her threats make him smile?
“You have a fierce spirit. You’ll need it if you’re going to get my tribe to accept you.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what your tribe wants. We are not hooking up.”
“The sooner you accept we are sykyrah, the better.”
“Dude, did no one ever teach you ultimatums don’t work? I am not going to be your wife.”
“Are you always this obstinate when faced with facts?”
“Are you always this annoying?” she grumbled.
“Only when I’m right.” He dared show a dimple when he said it.
She ignored the cuteness of it. “I can’t believe you wasted my time bringing me here.” She rubbed a hand through her hair.
“How did I waste it? You are seeking a world with possible mates for you and your sisters.” He spread his hands, the seam of his cloak opening to show two legs, two arms, and a thick body that appeared to have no fat, just lots and lots of muscle. “I have done as promised.”
“I asked for humans. Not”—she waved her hand— “whatever you are.” A part of her realized how awful she sounded, and yet the words still rolled off her tongue.
“I am Spa’Rtk’un,” he declared, flinging off his cloak.
She blinked once, then twice, before turning on her heel to march back to her ship. Of course, he just had to follow.
“Your resistance is futile,” he declared.
“According to you,” she snapped. “I am not about to give in. You and I will never happen. Ever.”
“Why not?”
She whirled and pointed. “Because you have a freaking tail.”
Six
Belle didn’t point out the obvious with awe but rather disgust. It prickled.
“Don’t be jealous just because your own posterior is lacking,” Thyos declared.
“My ass is perfect.”
“I assume you are referring to your buttocks and not a hairy, ornery animal,” he asked, as his translator offered two choices.
“Does your translator not handle slang?”
“Your language will require an update apparently since many of your expressions don’t translate well.” His tail flicked side to side, and she paled, even took a step away from him.
Rather than hide, he slid the tip closer. He refused to be shamed by a tail he took pride in, the muscle of it firm, the exterior bronze scales and the tip flexible enough to grip.
“Stop that!”
“Stop what exactly?” he goaded.
“That thing with your tail. Keep it away from me.”
“It really bothers you,” he stated.
“It’s weird.”
“More like you are intolerant.”
“Did you just call me racist?” She blinked at him. Surprised obviously. How could she not realize how her own words condemned her?
“You are reacting because of an inherent bias against those who are different than you.”
“Hell yeah I’m reacting. In case you don’t know it, you’re an alien.”
“So are you, or do you think there aren’t things that I find odd about your appearance as well?” he countered. Did she not grasp how different she appeared to him? Not bad or ugly, but very different. However, at the same time, he thought her beautiful for her uniqueness.
She obviously didn’t see him in the same manner. It bothered because more than ever he knew she was his sykyrah. Fighting it when it shone so obviously