Page 44 of An Alien for Her Heart

Catherine walks close beside me, her eyes still wide as she takes it all in. Her body brushes against mine as the crowd grows thicker, and I revel in the sensation. When we reach the heart of the town where the music rises into the air, she finally tilts her head to look up at me.

My core-organ thuds hard in my chest.

“That music. It’s beautiful. I’ve never heard anything so uniquely intoxicating.”

I grin. “It’s the Raki.”

Her eyebrows shoot up higher. “TheRaki?”

I turn slightly, heading toward where there’s a throng of celebrators, their bodies writhing to the rhythm. Just behind them is a group of Raki, instruments in hand.

“Oh my God.” Catherine grips me tighter. “They’re singing through their trunks.”

Her words are somewhat strange, but they make me chuckle softly.

“Oh, that’smyRaki,” she says, pointing to a male off to the side who is playing a stringed instrument. The Raki looks up, giving her a dip of his head in greeting.

My expression drops at the sight of him, my gaze hardening. It’s not till Catherine laughs and tugs me closer do I realize I might have been visibly snarling.

“You don’t have to protect me from him, you know.” She whispers up to me. “He didn’t hurt me on purpose.”

“He didn’t help you either.”

She shrugs at that, but I’m happy the smile on her face doesn’t fade. It’s genuine too, lighting up her eyes. With thestar’s light quickly fading across the horizon, those lights in her eyes lead me from the darkness.

“May the seeds bring a bountiful harvest.” The voice of a Kalgonite as he thrusts a tray filled with delicacies in Catherine’s direction.

“Oh!” She takes a little meal square topped with sweet fruit. “Thank you! May—may the seeds bring a bountiful harvest.”

The Kalgonite dips his head in approval before heading to someone else in the crowd as Catherine turns to me. There’s a grin on her face now.

“Wow, this is—”

“Not what you expected?”

She laughs. A real laugh. My whole being shivers with delight that flows like a wave through my scales. “Not what I expected at all.”

She takes a bite of the treat before her eyes roll back. “Oh, this is so good.” But then her face falls, those wide eyes moving to me. “I didn’t get one for you.”

More warmth swells within me. She’s thinking of me.

“We can share.” Before she can protest, I lean forward. My mouth closes around the treat still in her hand, my face coming incredibly close to hers. I hear when her breath hitches. See how her gaze drops to my lips. The heat of her digits is right at my mouth. Resisting the urge to wrap my lips around them nearly takes all my strength. I can’t help but swipe my tongue over my lips as I pull back. She watches the movement, making me wonder once again about that mouth brushing her kind does. My gaze drops to her lips, too.

I would very much like to try it.

“Catherine!”

My head lifts and I ease back just as my siblingkin and his mate push through the crowd toward us. His mate beams, greeting me before wrapping Catherine in an embrace.Catherine releases me then, the arm she’d been gripping me with since we arrived suddenly gone, and I step back with reluctance, my gaze on her as she converses with her human friend.

I could stand here watching her for eons if she allowed me to, but eyes are boring into my skull. Zynar has an all-fang grin when I look his way.

“Don’t.” I hiss, low enough that the females can’t hear us.

“Don’t what?” He grins wider.

“Don’t say it.”

He stands beside me, crossing his arms as he takes in the revelers around us. “I have never seen you like this before, brother.”

---