Page 49 of A Delicate Conquest

Bea felt slightly ridiculous. She didn’t know why she’d called himSir.Like Mavrel, she’d succumbed to some sort of reflexive response.

But what the hell was she supposed to do? Assume she was already on a first-name basis with fucking Tarak al Akkadian?

She, who very rarely lost her composure, had to recover it quick smart. “Thank you for… everything you’ve done, Tarak.”

Bea blinked, wondering why she’d said that.

Maybe it was because she was starting to appreciate what the Kordolians’ presence herereallymeant for humans and Earth.

The former general smiled enigmatically. “No need for thanks. My reasons are mostly selfish.”

Mavrel snorted softly. “That’s just image-keeping.”

“Hm.” The look Tarak gave them made the fine hairs on Bea’s arms stand on end. She knew he was a good guy—at least he was now—but he made her feel a little bit edgy and so veryhuman.

That was her intuition kicking in.

Tarak inclined his head, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. His expression became distant for a second before snapping back to the here and now. “There’s something I must attend to. If you will excuse me. Mavrel. Bea. Good to meet you.”

And then, the head of this whole colossal and impossibly powerful alien operation was gone, leaving a vacuum in the wake of his presence.

Until Mavrel broke the spell by putting his arm around her shoulders, pulling her back down to reality, and wrapping her in his warmth. “I know. He’s a force. Happens to everyone. But you did well.”

“Did I?” She laughed. “I felt like a bumbling idiot, and thatneverhappens to me.”

“As I said, it happens to everyone, especially the first time.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine what his spouse must be like.” What kind of formidable, insane human would be attached to Tarak al Akkadian?

“Abbey? You’d like her,” Mavrel shrugged. “She isn’t what you’d think. She’s also quite pregnant at the moment, but you’ll get to meet her eventually.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“And I’m looking forward to feeding you. After which, what would you like to see? A condensed exploration of our history?The fighting and combat demonstration? A simulation of the Vaal? Tribal lore? The tech showcase?”

She leaned into him: into his warm, comfortable familiarity, his closeness.

Into how natural they felt together.

“Mavrel, I want to seeallof it with you.”

He smiled at her: a wide, brilliant smile, fangy and bright and genuine, an expression she couldn’t have imagined him capable of when she’d first met him. “Let’s do it, then.”

And as he led her through the crowd of aliens and strangers alike, Bea came to a surprising realization.

Up here in space, on this floating vastness of black metal and strange technology, suddenly, unexpectedly, she felt perfectly at home.

As long as she was with him.

SIXTEEN

The Mating Fever had broken.

The after-effects were still there, lurking beneath the surface, but the viciousness was gone, making Mavrel’s existence bearable once again.

He hadn’t expected to Claim her so quickly.

He hadn’t expected that she’d be so delightful, sure of herself, andwilling.

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