Possessive Alien Mate(Savage Martians #2) - Sue Mercury Page 0,41

included all the known criminals in Bismarck. She had planned to share her list with Rem soon, in hopes that something might be done to quell the corruption and lawlessness that had often resulted in the innocent being preyed upon. She made a mental note to speak to Rem about what she’d learned today from the princess and Kenzie soon, as well as finally share her list with him.

“So,” Tyra said, “the new model for human mail order brides will be sort of like a dating service?”

“Yes, kind of, though the human women won’t get a chance to meet their prospective mates in person before they agree to travel to Mars to become their mates, but they will get to send one another messages, as well as speak via a video comm if they wish. The details are not all ironed out yet, but I am hopeful that the king will take my advice on the matter.” Princess Esmay’s eyes shone with mischief and she smiled. “I have a good feeling he will listen to me, though.”

Tyra was stunned. Circumstances were about to change on Earth. If new governors had been installed before her twenty-first birthday and law and order restored, which she hoped might happen in all of the zones if the new governors were indeed not corrupt, she might not have had to come to Mars in the first place.

But she’d been stuck in Bismarck, unable to afford a bus ticket out of the city. She had considered trying to report her uncle to the authorities, but he’d frequently bragged to her that most officers, including some Martian enforcers, were in league with his business practices. Since she’d seen uniformed enforcers come into his bar on occasion and speak to him in a friendly manner, she had assumed he was telling the truth, even though she had never been able to confirm it for herself.

If she wouldn’t have been forced to leave Earth though, she would have never met Rem. Her heart ached at the thought of being parted from him. As the conversation turned to safer topics, Tyra let her mind wander as she considered the difficult circumstances that had led her to Rem.

While she wished she could erase some of her darker memories, she wasn’t unhappy on Mars, or displeased with the male to whom she’d been randomly matched.

Rem. Her heart filled with warmth whenever she thought of him.

Was it fate that had led her into his loving arms? Sometimes she wondered if higher forces were at work, for she was starting to feel as though she truly belonged with him.

When it was time to leave, Tyra rose up and her gaze suddenly locked with Chexxa’s. He was staring at her, and even though she’d just caught him doing so, he didn’t look away. His eyes darkened and his nostrils flared. An uneasy feeling settled in Tyra’s stomach and the back of her neck prickled. She looked away from him and followed Alissina out of the bakery. Thankfully, she hadn’t noticed the odd interaction between Tyra and Chexxa.

As they finished shopping, Tyra couldn’t help but keep glancing over her shoulder. She felt as though someone was watching her, but whenever she looked to see if her instincts were right, half expecting to discover Chexxa had followed her, she didn’t see anything amiss.

Chapter 22

“You’re home early!”

Rem opened his arms as Tyra rushed toward him. He hugged her and then withdrew to inspect the new gown she was wearing. She blushed and gnawed on her bottom lip, as if nervous over whether or not he would approve of the flowing green dress.

“Most of my new dresses are green,” she said. “Your mother says it’s becoming the fashion for human brides to wear clothing in the color of their Marttiaxoxalian mates.”

“You look beautiful,” he said. “The color complements your eyes.”

She smiled. “Thanks. Um, your mother is still here. I hope you don’t mind, but she kept hinting that she would like to stay for dinner, so I invited both her and your father. They’re in the sitting room right now.”

He laced his fingers through hers and kissed the back of her hand, letting his lips linger upon her flesh. “That’s perfectly all right. You don’t need my permission to invite my parents over for dinner, though you must promise not to have them over every night.”

She chuckled. “I promise.”

“Do you need any help getting dinner ready?” he asked.

“No, it’ll just take me a minute to put it on the