Grantian’s golden-eyed gaze, he intends to kill this man. That would only draw unwanted attention to us.
“Grantian, no, stop.” I put my hands on his shoulders. “Please, stop. You don’t have to kill him.”
“He touched my mate.” Grantian speaks through gritted teeth. Spittle flies from his mouth and spatters on the Vakutan’s face. The helpless man tries fighting back, but from such a vulnerable position and facing a much larger foe, he doesn’t stand a chance of budging that knife from his neck.
“I know. I’m sorry I did that to you. I was just trying to get you to, to unleash the beast. But we’re safe now, okay? You can let him up.”
Grantian’s gaze snaps over to me, and for a moment I’m taken aback at just how much rage and hatred is there. But then he seems to recognize me, recognize his jalshagar, and his gaze softens.
He gives the knife handle one final shove, but instead of driving the wicked blade into the Vakutan’s throat, he angles it so it winds up imbedded several inches in the sandy floor of the cantina. It was close, though. The Vakutan bleeds from a red line on his skin, superficial but a reminder of how close he was to death.
“Come.” Grantian takes my hand, apparently no longer concerned with maintaining our disguises. I run after him as best I can, though there are problems. For one, my metal bra offers no support and the girls slap painfully against my ribcage. For another, the stupid leash just keeps getting in the way and threatening to trip me, so I try to snag it in my free hand.
We rush through the market toward the lot holding our shuttle, my breath coming in ragged gasps. No pursuit seems imminent, but I can’t blame Grantian for not wanting to take chances.
When we at last reach the lot and make it inside the shuttle, he turns a glower on me that could peel paint.
“That was… that was…. that was uncalled for.”
“I’m sorry.” I stand on my toes to kiss him on his cheek. “It was a crisis and I took steps to activate my most powerful field asset.”
His glower fades before being replaced by a wide grin. Grantian draws me into him and kisses me deeply.
“I love it when you talk all tactical.”
One thing leads to another, and let’s just say it’s a good thing my costume is so easy to remove.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Grantian
“Shouldn’t we brief Solair and Varia?” Lamira speaks, but I barely register her words. I just push her back against the wall of the shuttle’s cargo bay, my hands tearing what little clothes she has off her body. I take a step back then, allowing my eyes to wander over her naked body, and my boiling blood immediately rushes between my legs. It doesn’t matter how many times I get to see her like this.
It always feels like the first time.
“That can wait,” I reply in a low growl. Closing the distance between us, I return my hands to her body and enjoy the way they travel over her naked skin.
I lean in and suck her right nipple into my mouth, barely able to control myself, twirling my tongue around it as its flavor coats my tongue.
“Yes,” she whispers, voice brimming with desire. “We can definitely brief them later.”
Matching my eagerness, she places one hand between my legs and flattens her palm against my body, somehow making me even harder than I already am. No, fuck that. I don’t think I’ve ever been as hard as I am right now. I can’t even think straight. Every single thought I have is scattered and lost.
The only thing I know is that I need to have her.
To see her flirting with those fucking Vakutans really messed me up, and I’m still fired up about the whole thing. I know it was only a ruse, a way she found to snap me out of that daze, but it was enough to drive me crazy. I was more than ready to kill those bastards just because they looked at her the wrong way. No one gets to treat her like that and expect to survive the day. The only reason those bastards are still alive is Lamira. She stopped me right before I could send them both into the afterlife.
“You’re the only one I want,” she tells me, her voice already turning into a slight moan. It’s almost as if she can read my mind. Then again, I didn’t