Alien Conquest (Fated Mates of Xaensskar #2) - Jude Gray Page 0,37

slumped. When she reached me, she looked up, her eyes already swimming with tears. “Please don’t be angry with me, Dexx,” she whispered. “I needed to see you.”

I frowned. “Why?”

Her eyes widened for a moment then she darted out her pink tongue to lick her lips. “Can we talk in private?”

Bo snorted. “Do not forget the female who even now lies in your cabin waiting for you to join her in your bed,” he told me, but he looked at Avanya.

Avanya blanched. “A female? Here?”

My mate chose that moment to walk out of the cabin, drawn, perhaps, by the noise. Her stare caught and held mine before Avanya stepped in front of me and put a hand on my arm, drawing Kreia’s immediate attention.

Her curiosity turned to anger when she realized who Avanya was.

Avanya watched with the rest of us as Kreia stomped toward us, her hair flying out behind her, her eyes narrow, her hands curled into fists.

She pointed her finger at Avanya. “What is that bitch doing here?”

The Hgrir opened her mouth and took a deep breath, then slid a quick glance at me and ducked her head, sweet and demure. “Dexx,” she said softly, pushing her body against mine, “Who is this strange little…Drimuti?”

Despite myself, the word Drimuti caused an immediate and reflexive spark of anger to flare to life inside me. I shook it off and patted Avanya on the shoulder before pushing her gently toward Bo.

Kreia didn’t wait for any of us to answer Avanya’s question. “I am your son’s friend,” she said, her hands on her slim hips. “I was there when you betrayed him so you could not only get your greedy hands on this one—” She jerked her thumb at me. “—but could get paid for your betrayal. And you do not even ask after Vihn.” She curled her lip in contempt and I watched her silently, as awed as a young boy.

Avanya burst into tears. “I do care about my Vihn,” she cried. “It is only that he does not care about me.” She threw herself away from the smirking Bo and wrapped her arms around mine.

I disentangled myself from the clingy Hgrir and glared as one of the guards dared to snicker. “Why did you come here?”

Avanya sniffed and wiped away her tears. “I asked that we speak in private.”

Kreia lifted her eyebrows at me but said nothing. I grabbed Avanya’s upper arm and began to hurry her toward the cabin. “Have your say, woman, so you can be on your way. You belong in the city. Not here.”

“Seriously?” Kreia bellowed. “Do not take that deceitful piece of trash into our cabin, Dexx!”

I’d had enough of both females and their histrionics. I pointed at the wooden bench by the fire. “Kreia, sit. I will speak with you later.” I ignored both Kreia’s flash of pain and Avanya’s satisfied smirk. I dragged the Hgrir into the cabin, then stepped away from her and crossed my arms. “Talk,” I barked.

She lifted her face to the air, her body jerking gently as she sniffed. Then she turned to me, her mouth open and her eyes wide as she realized I’d bedded a Drimuti. “You…she…” she stuttered.

I leaned down to get in her face. “What do you want?”

She leaped at me, and I reflexively opened my arms to catch her. She clung to me, her face lifted to mine, her lips parted like she thought I might kiss her, and then…

Then Bo flung open the cabin door at the perfect moment to catch Avanya in my arms. Not that I was worried about what he might think, but Kreia stood behind him, and her stare went from me to Avanya before she finally turned, without a word, and walked away.

“Fuck,” I ground out.

After I’d dealt with Avanya and sent her back to Eastmeadow, I would find the sulking Kreia and whether she was sore or not, I would fuck the anger out of her.

I was so distracted by the vision of Kreia naked beneath me that for a few moments, Bo’s words—and his anger—didn’t sink in. When I realized that he was actually chastising me for the way I had handled my own lifemate, my anger exploded.

Bo’s ass whipping was long overdue.

I strode to the door and slammed my fist into his face, and the fight was on. Bo wasn’t the type to let me beat the shit out of him while he tried to calm my anger. Bo was the type to give