“How is that supposed to help diplomacy?” Zander snapped. He seriously didn’t have the vecking time or patience for this sort of excrement.
“Her disappearance should not be linked to us. Paal freed her.”
“It had better not. I don’t care what she means to Tara, one human isn’t worth jeopardizing our entire vecking war effort.”
“Of course not, my lord.”
He ground his teeth. “She’ll be Tara’s responsibility.”
“Yes, my lord. I’m sure Mina understands.”
Mina. Yes. He’d forgotten she preferred to be called the latter part of her name now.
“Be sure she does.”
Erick bowed and ended the transmission.
He turned to hear Seke’s assessment. “Well?”
“It’s not a good sign. We should assume they’ll back the Finn.” The grim lines around his Master at Arms’ face showed his age more than ever. “The pressure Erick applied is good, though. The trouble is that most planet leaders believe us incapable of winning this battle. And we’re even less so without their support.”
Zander’s fingers tightened into a fist. “They’ll support us after they see our firepower in the first strike. Erick can offer them one last chance to throw in with us.”
He had no other choice but to believe it. Because any other outcome meant the final extinction of his species.
Paal docked the ship on Zander’s palatial pod. The scent of the human female still lingered on his clothing, his hands. He wanted to get close enough to her to smell his scent on her.
Veck, it had felt good to spend between her legs. If he’d known sex with a human was this satisfying he would have sought one out a long time ago.
Except that idea didn’t quite ring true. He didn’t want any human female. Just this one.
This one, whom he didn’t trust as far as he could throw. Who used sex as a weapon, along with her other conniving female wiles to attain a purpose.
No, he needed to avoid her tempting presence. She was trouble.
Erick strode to the door and opened it, waiting to escort his mate out.
Why couldn’t there be more Zandian females like Lady Taramina available? Except he couldn’t imagine treating a Zandian female the way he’d just treated Leti. Zandian males are dominant, but they don’t disrespect their mates. At least not that he remembered--but he was young when he left.
Leti had taken it. He’d left her shaken, but she hadn’t complained, even when she could have.
And had she actually blushed when Lady Taramina had demanded his apology?
The blush looked so pretty on her—so unlike the confident swagger she hid behind. He’d seen a glimpse of something real there.
And he’d liked it.
No, he’d vecking loved it.
He hung back in the ship, waiting until they’d exited. He needed to be out of the same breathing space as Leti so he could get his head on straight again.
But...excrement. The three of them stood waiting just inside the pod.
“Paal, do you wish to take charge of Leti, at least temporarily?” Lady Tara asked.
“Me? I cannot.”
Leti leaned into one hip and twirled her silky dark hair around a fingertip with mock innocence. Even though she now wore a pair of leggings, her long legs jutted out from the too-short tunic, and the black boots only served to remind him how she’d looked naked. Though he willed himself not to, his mind instantly conjured the image of her kneeling at his feet, those peach-tipped nipples stiff as spikes. Why hadn’t he paid more attention to her pretty little breasts?