Page 70 of The Alien's Little Sister

“Never to buy a car with a CVT transmission,” she spits out like she’s been cramming this answer for a really important test.

(Public Service Announcement for CVTs: continuously variable transmissions. Everybody’s starting to use them, but talk to your mechanic before you get a car with one under the hood—because nobody outside of a dealership wants to touch them. Excessive complaints forced a couple companies to extend convoluted warranties, but in the end, repairs will slap you with a bill to the tune of five grand,minimum.)

I point at Stacy. “Damn straight, girl. I’m proud of you.”

Her eyelids turning puffy, her eyes going glossy, she gives me a sad grin.

Behind me, I hear Tahmoh asking Inara,“Noneof them are for eating?”

Inara responds with soft puzzlement. “He says no, but Tahmoh, they taste delicious—”

I send her a long look that she feels, because she turns to me.

“I only ate the four,” she tells me quickly. “And I couldn’t help myself. I vow to you, Matthew, they came right up to me—”

“Yeah, because they were friendly and didn’t know they would be eaten.” I roll my eyes to the ceiling before pinning her with another look. “Geez, Inara. You should be ashamed of yourself, woman.”

“Did they taste like the fish on our homeworld?” her brother Arokh asks. His triplets are being held by my family so his mate is free to place both of her hands on his cheeks, and she tries somewhat unsuccessfully to turn his face, at least until she kisses him.Thenhe focuses on her, his eyes heating.

I send Inara a pointed glance. “Clearly, I should have kissed you more.”

Inara moves to my side to press against me apologetically. To her distracted brother, she answers, “To answer your question, Arokh, Matthew’s fish taste even better. They had incredible flavor and flakiness, truly.”

Zadeon, who’s standing with his dorsal spines pressed flat to the wall, taps his mate on the shoulder until she turns in his arms and starts speaking privately with him, him watching her lips avidly to find out what we’re talking about. There’s some gesturing to the fish tanks and a very interested look that crosses his face.

Fuck me.

Tahmoh, sitting on the floor near us with his mate still in his lap, leans to look around his Janet, staring at the tanks like he’s super curious and really hungry. Janet hugs their baby to her chest and stands, whispering, “Tahmoh, don’t even think about it. Why don’t we—”

I stab a finger in front of his nose. “NO.”

Inara gasps and grabs my hand. “Are you insane?” she squeaks to me.

“Let’s get our wonderful, curious aliens back to the ship,” Janet says quickly, patting her baby on the back and stepping between me and her mate, dispersing the tension like a pro.

I turn to my sisters, my mom, and Stacy and her boy. “I guess… I guess this is goodbye.”

CHAPTER 27

“What is this?” Tahmoh asks when I put the Boss in park, letting it idle at the smaller ship's ramp.

My head is starting to throb with a headache. I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed some tears during the painful goodbye with my loved ones—and maybe it’s because I don’t cry very often, but it feels like someone’s starting to jackhammer the backs of my eyeballs.

“Human?”

My gaze snaps up to his. “Matthew.”

He holds my stare, his eye contact steady and direct before he finally nods. “Matthew,” he acknowledges. “What is this transporter you are bringing with you? It is different from the others here.”

“It is,” I confirm, impressed that even an alien noticed. “It’s a Mustang.”

Inara leans over the console, horns missing our car’s ceiling as she excitedly tells her brother, “The people here give cars of this breed titles, and Matthew’s is reverentially calledthe Boss.”

Tahmoh looks impressed, giving our ride another once-over.

“Matthew completes the upkeep and machine repairs himself, Tahmoh,” Inara adds, the pride so evident in her tone that on a normal day, I could be in danger of blushing.

“Hm,” Tahmoh says. He tips his head to me. “Perhaps you’ll prove yourself worthy after all... Matthew.”

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