Their Zandian Mate (Zandian Masters 9)

“What did you miss?” Jax rolls his eyes. “Just about the most life-altering thing you can ever imagine. Great day to be lazy.”

“Go veck yourself.” Ronan punches him in the arm. “Tell me,” he demands, more seriously this time, picking up on the tension in the courtyard.

“It appears,” Jax says, his voice collected, “the three of us are going to share one mate. A human. From what the king just announced, it sounds like Zandians can apply as a team, which must include a female, to accept a homestead here.”

“Hot damn!” The thrill in Ronan’s voice is evident. “It’s about time! I’ve been dreaming of a nice little Zandian homestead since the planet rotation we left. And a female to share? That just sweetens it all the more. This is the best news I could imagine!” He throws his arms around our shoulders. “I cannot imagine a better future.” He laughs out loud. “This is the best day, cousins!”

“You don’t care that we all have to share one mate?” My voice comes out more forcefully than I intend. Yes, we’ve shared females, the three of us, in random encounters, and we all enjoy it that way. But long-term, a mate with whom we are expected to bond and protect? It seems complex and troublesome. What if I want to kill them both every time they touch Riya?

There’s no doubt in my mind now that she’ll be our female. I’ve been dying to claim her lush little body from the moment I saw her out on the battlefield trying to drag the wounded in by herself.

She’s fierce. And the way she lifted her chin when I threatened to warm her ass for leaving the safety of the downed ship was adorable. A little warrior exists behind that alluring peachy flesh of hers.

And then there’s those vecking thighs…

Stars, if I don’t get to be the one to pry them open and taste her honey first, I might throttle both my cousins.

Ronan smiles, and I scowl again. Ronan is always so...excited about things. It irritates the veck out of me.

“I never thought I’d be lucky enough to get a mate.” Ronan shrugs. “I don’t mind. I share everything with you two, anyway. Why not our future?”

Easy for him to say. With his lazy smile and his way of joking around, Ronan has a way of making friends with any and every being in the galaxy. Once he’d even had the enemies laughing with him —before we killed them, of course. Naturally Ronan wouldn’t mind anything.

“Which female do we get? Is it the one with the bare thighs?” Ronan leans to look in the direction of the med bay. “Is she...ours?”

I’m simultaneously relieved and pissed that Ronan’s already picked the same female Jax and I agreed on. At least we won’t argue, but I hate that he’s been drooling over her. But it is interesting that all three of us have zeroed in on her. What does it mean? Probably nothing, other than we share the same taste in women.

“We don’t know yet,” I snap. “We don’t know how the females will get get distributed. I assume we have to make her willing, but who knows? They may use Daneth’s gene matching technology like they did when they bought the king’s mate for him.”

All three of us bare our teeth at the thought of not getting to make this choice on our own.

“She smells...good.” Ronan smiles.

“When have you smelled her?” I growl, jealousy flooding my veins.

“Calm down, cousin!” Ronan elbows me. “I’ve never seen you act so possessive before. Don’t worry, I’ve not mated her in secret. I happened to pass her just now and I noticed her.”

I grunt, ignoring the relief that courses through me. Not that it matters. If I have to share a female, I’ll have to accept the fact that she is all of ours.

“Her name is Riya,” I force myself to say. “And I think you two should go and talk to her.”

Ronan shoots a quizzical glance at Jax.

“Something happened between them,” Jax fills in, although I’ve told him nothing yet.

“She’s the one who stitched my wound,” I say, as if that explains things, touching the jagged line that crosses my cheek from the neck to the eye.

How will our future mate feel about the ugly scar it will leave? It must make me appear hideous. The king’s infant son burst into tears this morning when he saw it.

“And?” Jax prompts.

My cock starts to swell at the memory of her sweet human scent, her breasts dancing in front of my mouth as her slender fingers moved deftly with the primitive needle and thread. I wanted her then, and still do, now. “I may have...touched her inappropriately.”

Ronan barks out a laugh and Jax rolls his eyes. “What in the veck does that mean?” Jax demands.

I stare in the direction of the med bay, my feet demanding I march down there right now and carry her back to our shared chamber so we can start the process of claiming her. All vecking night.

“She was standing so vecking close—straddling my leg. When she stuck me with the needle I grabbed a handful of her ass.”