Page 69 of An Alien for the Farm

“You hurt yourself,” I whisper. I blink away tears and he notices; a low growl starts in his throat. I sniffle, wiping them away. He can’t think I’m hurt or in pain. He’ll look for the source and destroy it. Well, that’s what Varek said, and right now I’m trusting he knows what he’s talking about.

Looking at Zynar now, he doesn’t look like a mindless beast whose brain is taken over by an uncontrollable urge to rut. I find it hard to believe he’d kill his own brother for a female he only just met. But as he comes closer and I inhale, a deep groan releases from my lips. My lids flutter and I catch myself just as a surge goes to the center of my thighs. Zynar freezes, watching me.

I can smell him. And his scent is even thicker. Even more intoxicating.

Probably Varek is right. He’s Kari after all. He should know. Because just a whiff of Zynar’s pheromones and I’m already weak in the knees. The opposite effect must be true, too.

“Come to me.” I beckon to him and Zynar moves, far too quickly for my eyes to keep track. My breath hitches as I tilt my head back to look at this alien who has come on my farm and on other things… With my nerves in a bunch, a surge of need I don’t expect almost completely overtakes me.

Zynar lifts one claw slowly, bringing it up to my jaw. I lean into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed at the softest brush of his skin against mine.

“Liora,” he whispers.

My eyes fly open and we lock gazes.

He’s not completely out of it. Zynar’s still there. Maybe we didn’t need this plan after all. Except, only one of us seems to have realized this. I can’t even stop the next event from happening as Varek shouts my name.

“Eleanor! Now!”

“Oh, crud.” The curse slips past my lips at the same moment that Zynar extends his claws, his entire demeanor changing before me as he turns in the direction of Varek’s shout.

Varek is a blur that appears out of nowhere. I barely get out of the way before he slams into his brother. A vicious snarl vibrates the air around us as they crash into the bed.

They struggle. Claws out. Fangs bared. I thought they were similar sizes but Zynar looks suddenly twice the size of his brother. He lands a punch into Varek’s jaw that has Varek’s neck twisting in the opposite direction. My eyes widen.

“Zynar, stop!”

But he doesn’t. With one powerful kick, he sends his brother flying backward. Varek collides with the wall, his body going limp. He’s down. The plan has failed. And as Zynar rises, his complete focus on his brother, I know I have to do something.

“Zynar…” His head snaps in my direction, his snarl lessening just a little. But then Varek shakes his head. He hasn’t lost consciousness after all. He groans, shaking his head again, as he staggers upright. Zynar’s focus slips from me immediately, the snarl on his lips making his fangs look deadly as his complete focus goes to what he perceives as a threat.

“Oh frakk,” Varek says a moment before the air shifts. Zynar moves so fast, I only feel the breeze. The next moment he has Varek by the throat, squeezing so hard that Varek’s eyes bulge.

I stand there in shock, my heart refusing to beat. I have to do something. Anything to get his attention back on me.

“Zynar!” I scream, hoping to divert his focus.

For a moment, it seems to work. His head snaps toward me, pupils still that narrow little line. But then he shifts back to Varek, grip tightening as a guttural growl rumbles from his throat.

Varek’s face is changing color, desperate claws pulling at Zynar’s iron grip to no avail.

I have to act, and fast. Spotting one of my panties, a part of me cringes. I grab it anyway, steeling my nerves for what I must do.

“Zynar, look at me!”

When his eyes find mine again, I rip the fabric. The sound of the linen tearing, combined with my commanding tone, succeeds in grabbing his attention.

Zynar drops Varek, the latter collapsing into a crumpled heap that pulls a huge breath into starved lungs. Zynar’s focus remains fixed on me as he takes a step closer.

Heart pounding, I raise the panty and sway it in the air, using the primal cues Varek instructed to draw his focus. “Here, Zynar. This is what you want. Hmm?”

A rumbling growl escapes him, claws twitching at his sides. His expression is caught between beastly instinct and fleeting recognition of me. I pray the latter wins out.

Slowly, hesitantly, Zynar takes another step my way. Then another, eyes locked on the makeshift lure. When close enough, I stand my ground and hold it out between us.

For a breathless moment, nothing happens. Zynar hovers, breathing heavily through flared nostrils mere inches from me. Then his clawed hand rises to grasp the flimsy fabric, drawing it toward his face.

As he inhales deeply, something shifts behind his eyes.

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