Page 38 of You're Not My King!

My lips twitched, my resolve cracking, but I looked away, refusing to give him the satisfaction. “I’m mad at you.”

He loomed over me, close enough to touch. The warm, woodsy scent of him filled my nose and sank into my bones. “My Roo.”

Too quickly, I groaned, dropping my arms to my sides and folding like a damned lawn chair. Why did he have to be so charming? And why was I so weak to it?

“You’re a big asshole, and I hate you, just so you know,” I griped, melting into his arms as they circled my waist. He smirked in victory, leaning down as if to kiss me. I didn’t dodge it—he could learn his lesson another time.

However, as our lips met, there was a commotion behind us, making me jolt out of his space. He growled and bared his fangs at the interruption, clearly at the end of his rope with all the cockblockers delaying us getting down and dirty. At this point, they had to be hiding in the bushes just waiting to jump in and save me from myself.

There was no other explanation for their impeccable timing.

I turned toward the noise, surprised to see a group of aliens I didn’t know pouring into the camp from the tree line. Vo’ak didn’t seem on edge, so they obviously weren’t a threat, but I subconsciously drifted closer to him just to be safe.

Were they from a neighboring clan? There weren’t many of them, so it probably wasn’t a whole tribe, but still enough to make the place look untidy. At the back of the group was a brick shithouse of a dude, as broad as he was tall, with one arm and an eyepatch. He scanned the camp, expression cold, yet once he spotted Vo’ak, he made a beeline for him, using the spear in his hand as a walking stick.

He had to be the chief.

“Vo’ak,” he greeted, his voice such a low, grating timbre that it was almost inaudible. The tip of his spear crossed his body as he placed a fist to his heart and dipped his head in a gesture that I had become familiar with.

It was a salute to their king. And to me, as his mate.

“Raawk-nick,” Vo’ak acknowledged, voice impassive and formal. For a second, I wondered if there was beef that I didn’t know about, but then their faces split into twin, beaming grins and their massive bodies crashed together in an aggressive bear hug.

No beef there then.

They separated, slapping shoulders like old buddies, chattering away in Ly’zrd as if they hadn’t spoken in way too long. It wasn’t until I shifted my stance that Vo’ak remembered my existence and curled a possessive arm around my back, hugging me to him.

“Roo-bin,” he introduced me, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so much like a kid in the sandbox with no friends. “My mate.”

Raawk-nick performed the same bow as he had with Vo’ak, and I gave a half-smile in return. “It is fine to meet you, Roo-bin. You are a precious Earthling.”

Vo’ak snarled threateningly, and I nudged him to stop.

“Thanks.” I cringed.

Raawk-nick chuckled heartily, barking something playful in Ly’zrd that made Vo’ak scoff and roll his eyes. I had a sneaking suspicion it was the alien version of ‘you’re so whipped,’ and I couldn’t hold back my snort.

I casually observed the rest of the newbies mingling with the clan as the two head honchos continued to rib each other like immature schoolchildren. I was pretty sure Vo’ak even stuck his tongue out at one point, and that, ladies and gents, was the leader of an entire fucking planet right there.

A particularly hearty laugh drew my attention away, my gaze falling on the two new humans—one guy, one woman—settled by the campfire. Fiona was with them, handing over pouches of herbs and medicines before she reached out to assess the girl’s distended stomach.

I stared at them—not like a creeper, just noting their relaxed manner and wondering if it’d be rude to abandon my husband to go over there. Fiona was great and all, and I hadn’t exactly been a social Sally back on Earth, but those guys looked closer to my age, and maybe it would be beneficial to get more human opinions on the whole abduction-slash-cattlemarket-slash-slave situation.

They seemed happy, but it could have been a trick.

My eyes panned back to Vo’ak, who was already watching me with a knowing look. He smiled, nodding as if prompting me to go, and though I didn’t need his permission, I thanked him anyway before making my way over to the fire—only after he had placed a kiss on my forehead and slipped the bug figurine into my hand.

It took way too long for my belly to stop fluttering.

“There he is. The man of the hour,” Fiona cheered, beckoning me closer. “Come, dearie, let me introduce you.” I obeyed, sidling in beside her as she gestured to the oval-faced young woman with plaited blonde hair, who was grinning like she was overjoyed to be there. “This is Beatrice.”

“Heya, hun,” Beatrice trilled, buzzing with way too much energy for that time of the morning. “Been dying to meet ya.”

I lifted my hand in an awkward wave, suddenly forgetting how to people. “Hi.”

No one called me out on it.

Fiona turned to the guy, who was busy stirring some red leaves into the cauldron on the fire. “And this is Jonathan.”

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