Page 40 of A Delicate Conquest

It was too much.

This restraint.

This tension between them.

What if they just…

She rocked backward a little, testing his grip on her wrists but not breaking it. “I want to be clear on a few things, Mavrel.”

“Fire away.” He was helpless now. He would do anything to secure her trust. So much for his resolve to stay in control.

So much for his fears about their compatibility.

They hadn’t told him he would becomethisuseless.

At that moment, Mavrel truly resigned himself to fate, for he had now spent more time with Bea than any other civilian, and she was utterly charming. He could imagine himself spending long periods of time with her without ever growing tired of her company.

He was done for.

“I’m starting to understand how deep this is,” she said softly, her low, velvety voice a temporary salve for his ragged nerves. She could whisper into his ear for an eternity and lull him into a permanent trance. He wouldn’t mind. “I know that your people have serious problems with gender imbalances and birth rates and overall intergalactic politics. It’s also my understanding that you’re here to stay.”

“I consider myself permanently stationed in the Ninth Sector, yes.”

“You’re not going anywhere after this, are you? No more wars? No more planets to conquer?”

“We don’t do that anymore,” he growled. “That’s the very reason I broke with the empire and swore loyalty to General Tarak al Akkadian.”

“You’re here, though. Everyone knows that humans don’t stand a chance against your military machine.”

“We haven’t subjected Earth to imperial-style oppression. Human civilization will continue to be managed by humans. The only difference is that any human who’s mated to a Kordolian will have a direct say in Earth’s governance.”

“That’s kind of… nepotism, isn’t it?”

“It’s the most tenable solution for now. It’s Tarak’s compromise. Humans occupying official positions have proven themselves to be untrustworthy by colluding with the enemy. Believe me, he could have come up with a much more tyrannical option. The only thing that stops him from doing so is his desire to see his mate happy. That is all.”

“Thatonething keeps all of you from turning to the dark side?”

“Pretty much.”

She turned until she was fully facing him. Mavrel stared into deep brown eyes filled with complicated thoughts.

He couldn’t even begin to fathom what was going on in her human mind.

She pulled one of her hands away, breaking his grip. But she left the other one in his grasp.

Bea reached out and touched his face, tracing her fingers down his cheek as if to check that he was indeed real.

“My goodness,” she whispered. “What a ridiculous situation.”

He wanted to kiss her then, to steal away any doubts that she might be having, but instead, he decided to let her have this moment.

He’d read parts of The Manual, and one thing had been repeated several times.

Do not use force.

“I don’t want children—I’m not ready for that… not yet. Is that something you can accept?”

Mavrel let out a puff of surprise. He didn’t have to think much about it. “Yes. I’m a busy tech engineer. I don’t socialize well with others, and I easily become obsessive about my projects. I don’t feel that I have it in me right now to nurture a youngling. Let the others do the reproducing for now.”

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