Big Bad Claws - Michele Mills Page 0,15

to reach out and touch him, grab him. Maybe kiss him.

Was she losing her mind? She couldn’t hook up with anyone right now. Least of all with a Xylan who didn’t pleasure mate.

It was intimidating how good he looked, and she was standing there in her pajamas and kitten slippers, holding a bot in her arms, looking like a dorky reject from a low-budget vid show.

She glanced down at his very large claws and noted he was still wearing the green gloves of the unmated.

He smiled, exposing those sharp fangs and reached out to gently tap the tip of her nose. Then he glanced at the bot and chuckled, then he pointed towards the door and said something in a loud snarly voice she didn’t understand.

Deep male voices rumbled from the hall.

Her eyes widened as she realized in that exact moment that they weren’t alone. She tightened her grip around the bot and hugged it to her chest. “How many beings do you live with?” she squeaked, remembering that Xylan normally lived in extended family compounds.

There went her grand plans for sneaking out. How was she going to get away now? Gods, she’d screwed up. Not only had she hid out in a building that wasn’t abandoned, but it was filled with beings. How had she been able to get into their domicile if they lived here full time? Why had the front door opened for her? The fact that it had been unlocked and let her in was a major reason she’d thought it was abandoned.

The Xylan male placed a gloved claw against the small of her back and guided her out of his room and down the hall. The voices grew louder. She took a calming breath and kept going where Zayzon lead, continuing to hold the bot in her arms.

She had to trust him, right? What other choice did she have? She continued to inhale Zayzon’s soothing scent. Normally, a situation like this where she’d be meeting a group of strangers would trigger all of her anxieties. But she’d come a long way these last few months. And she’d left her planet and arrived here in a rainstorm in the middle of the night and hadn’t had a panic attack. She could do this. She lifted her chin and straightened her back. The old Lila, who’d been shut off from the world and a target for her stepmother’s deceptions, was gone. She’d worked hard to set herself up for this freedom and responsibility, but she’d been unable to take the last step. Well, now she’d literally been pushed out and she was ready to try.

She entered the front room she’d only seen last night in the dark. This morning it was shining with light, which didn’t make it look better. In fact it looked worse. The dark had hidden most of the mess. This place really was a dusty and filthy. The walls had cobwebs and the windows were streaked.

And there were—she counted them—oh gods, there were six other enormous Xylan males crowding around the front room or in the kitchen. She was in a house with seven males.

She set the tiny bot on the floor. “Do what you can,” she whispered. “I know it’s a big job but try. Anything you do is better than leaving it like this.”

It hummed to life and started moving, leaving a streak of clean floor in its wake. Damn, that bot was so freaking cute.

Zayzon spoke loudly to one of the other males. Then he pointed at her. The male threw his head back and laughed. Deep, genuine laughter. The first male turned and grunted to the others and they all started laughing. Her lips twitched in response. They didn’t seem to be laughing at her or looking at her in horror. She got a vibe of acceptance from them. They were laughing at Zayzon, and he looked uncomfortable. Also, Zayzon was the only one wearing gloves of the unmated. Hmm. Maybe he was the only unmated male and for some reason they were all here temporarily without their families?

She had a feeling that they were laughing about how the two of them couldn’t talk.

A male walked up and slapped Zayzon on the shoulder. Then the other Xylan approached her with big smiles of welcome. She gave them all a weak smile in return, wishing she could greet them all properly and find out their names.

They began speaking to each other again and to Zayzon in those grunts and snarls.