Kept by the Zandian (Zandian Brides 5)

“First of all, what makes you think there is a human named Lamira on Zandia? And what business could you possibly have with her?” My spine tingles.

Veck. She knows the name of King Zander’s mate and current queen of Zandia. How can she possibly have this information?

New concern swells. Is it possible she still is a spy or a plant, even against her initial will, doing something dastardly to avoid consequences to her human friends back on Romon-3?

I narrow my eyes at her. Just like a human, to manipulate me with sex and emotions and then ask for the impossible.

“I just do. And I have to speak to her alone.”

She gives me a beseeching gaze, but I’m impassive now. And angry.

“You overstep,” I snap. “First you will go to med and isolation, and then you will petition for asylum. You do not get to make demands about what to do or who to see.”

She squares her shoulders. “I see,” she says stiffly.

Yeah. I’m a bastard. The way I’m treating her after what we did is vecking rotten. Unless she’s a spy. A danger to my planet.

I have to put Zandia first, before her feelings… and before mine.

Yes, this human just single-handedly completed a dangerous mission on an enemy planet, got injured for it, but she could still be dangerous.

So what do I do? I let down my guard, allow her to give me oral pleasure. Completely out of control of the situation.

How many mistakes am I going to make around her?

I need to get some distance from this female. Immediately.

Chapter 9

Drayk

“Did you see how they were all looking at her?” Tarak examines a med kit with his hands, faster than I can with my eyes, then slides it into the holding deck in the med bay of our ship. We are restocking in idle time, preparing for future missions.

“What do you mean?” I stow some gear in the provisions cabinet and secure the lock.

He laughs. “Taisha. When she walked off the craft, even bandaged and under stress, I think every Zandian male who saw her fell in love like that.” He snaps his fingers. “I may not be able to see features or facial expressions, but I can hear. I heard them all turn in her direction. Plus, my audio-visual trans showed me how they all straightened up and stood taller than normal.”

“That is ridiculous,” I snarl. “They were just curious about the new human.”

“Rightfully so. A human like her, I’m sure King Zander won’t allow fewer than three mates. Two at the minimum.”

I wrinkle my brow. “The king has allowed several solo mates recently.” I surely don’t want her for a mate. But if for some reason I did, there is no vecking way I’d share her.

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nbsp; He shrugs. “I heard several warriors talking about how they want to join together and petition for her, when she receives asylum.”

“If. If she receives it. And that isn’t their decision, is it?” I cross my arms. “It is Zander’s.”

“If?” He shakes his head. “She’s done Zandia a huge boon. How is it even still in question?”

I narrow my eyes. “She could still be a spy.”

“Really?” He gives me a look. “Is that what you’re going to tell the king? That’s preposterous.”

I put up my hands. “If I’m going to be a judge, I need to be impartial. Look at this fairly, from all sides. Yes, she did a great thing, but she was backed into a corner, and she knew it. A good spy would definitely help as well, just to get on our good side.” This is not untrue. And since I clearly don’t want her for myself, it’s obvious I’m only doing this for the good of Zandia. “It’s possible she still has some secret information that she has not yet disclosed. I need to ascertain whether she’s told us everything she can. If she’s keeping secrets, she’s not ready for asylum.”

“Well, it’s your job, not mine.” He grabs another pack and guides it into the area. “I’m just telling you what I heard. She’s already the talk of the training crew. The young Zandians are eager to meet her.”