Page 97 of The Edge of Dawn

It was the right thing to do.

The only thing.

If Ashrael had fought him then, he would have lashed out with the fury of a thousand suns.

But his minder was as cold as the ice sheets of the Vaal, and even though Dragek really could have killed Ashrael then and there, he didn’t move.

What incredible nerve.

It occurred to him that Ashrael was already wearing his skinsuit. The saladin material both reflected and absorbed light, creating a subtly mesmerizing effect. There was nothing else like it in the Universe. The only thing that was missing was the death-mask: the featureless pale oval that would completely conceal his face, giving him the visage of a soulless killer.

At least, until he applied the qim and disappeared from sight entirely, becoming a true wraith.

It took Dragek more than a heartbeat to gather himself and calm the fuck down. His senses were extremely heightened, his self-control more brittle, his anger more difficult to contain. Pain throbbed through his temples. His ka’qui threatened to spiral out of control.

Just my cursed luck.

He might have satisfied his hunger for her in the world of dreams, but his real, physical body was caught in the grip of full-blown Mating Fever.

Dragek loosened his grip a fraction, but he didn’t let go of Ashrael’s neck just yet. After all, the bastard had pulled him away from her.

He’d better have a damn good excuse.

“Are we leaving already?” he hissed, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Surely, Ashrael could have given him more warning before he approached, especially when he’d been in such an unguarded state.

He couldn’t believe he’d let him get so close, but then again, he had been singularly distracted.

The entire Fleet Station felt it.

“What are you talking about?”

Most of them had no idea what was happening. But every single individual on this station was suddenly overcome with intense sexual arousal. They had to shut down critical operations. You’re fortunate that Tarak chose to take advantage of the situation rather than classify it as an incident.

Dragek blinked. It was one of those rare occasions where he was truly stunned. Actually, he didn’t react like this, ever.

They had done that? He and Jade?

No. He knew how to keep his aura contained.

She didn’t.

By the Goddess.

Suppressing his killing intent, he shook his head a fraction.

Sweet, unassuming Jade had projected that to the entire Fleet Station. He didn’t care one whit about what others had experienced during their mating—in fact, all the better if everyone understood that she was his—but from what he knew of her, she would be self-conscious about it all.

She didn’t have to worry about a thing. If anyone dared disrespect her, he would make them suffer.

“I don’t even know what that means—to take advantage.”

Ashrael’s lips curved into a knowing smile—as if he held some deep and precious secret. “Your chosen mate is quite the powerful one. For those of us who are already mated, a sudden surge of lust is nothing new. We can easily handle such things. Some of us even have our mates with us. But the thousands of crew members onboard who have never experienced the Mating Fever are now likely to be highly sensitized to any potential future exposures.”

Releasing his grip on Ashrael’s neck at last, Dragek shook his head again, still not quite able to comprehend what the Silent One was saying.

Ashrael took a step back and folded his arms, completely unflustered. He still wore that infuriating smile. It was astounding that a Silent One could make an expression like that. “Your mate simply projected what she was feeling at the time. And she made all of us feel it, too. Some of us even acted upon it. There’s no harm done, but she’s definitely going to need to learn how to control her aura. Noa will help her.”

Dragek bristled. “If it was so harmless, why did you interrupt?”

---