Page 10 of A Delicate Conquest

From across the room, he’d subtly caught her attention on more than one occasion, comically rolling his eyes or frowning in an exasperated way.

Not at her—withher.

As if they were partners in crime.

“Don’t worry,” he’d told her afterward. “We know you weren’t involved in any of this. You won’t get any trouble from us.”

She’d laughed, hardly believing the absurdity of it all. “Professionalism dictates that I say nothing that would incriminate my organization right now, but I can at least apologize on behalf of all humans… for human stupidity.”

“Youdon’t need to apologize. You obviously aren’t one of the stupid ones.”

He’d left her with a strange feeling—light, fluttering, almost giddy.

Bea stared out the small window, observing the fantastic stars. They looked different from up here: sharper, more brilliant, glittering like tiny diamonds.

She tried to distract herself with the stars when all she could see in her mind’s eye washisface.

Why were all Kordolians so damn striking?

Every single one she’d encountered in the flesh looked like a character out of a holomovie. They were lean, hardened, and sharp-edged.

Beautiful.

Especiallyhim.

Tall and elegant, he’d moved with leonine grace. He had shimmering silver skin and long white hair that was casually, insolently tousled.

And then there were those golden eyes of his—so unusual, burning a pleasant hole in her memories.

She’d never paid much attention to Kordolians before. Everyone knew they were around, and they were here to stay. Bea was well aware that their appearance in Earth’s orbit marked a seismic shift in the course of human history, but she’d chosen to ignore the implications.

After all, she could only deal with what was right in front of her, day to day.

There was no point in worrying about things she had no control over.

There was a slight shift in the shuttle’s movement, and suddenly, she saw nothing but black.

The stars were gone.

The ship was perfectly still.

“We’ve arrived in the airlock,” a disembodied voice explained over some hidden speaker. It sounded like the crew member who’d greeted her earlier. “Please remain seated until the ship has docked.”

Bea shook her head in amazement. It wasn’t as if she could get up anyway—the safety restraints they’d put on her had her snugly secured in the big, curving chair—but at least they had the courtesy to make an announcement of some sort, as if she were flying on a human transport.

There was a slight delay as they floated in darkness and silence. Thank the stars for the dim blue cabin lighting. Without it, she’d be completely blind.

Kordolians had natural night vision, didn’t they?

Here, the conditions were in their favor. She was the one who had to adapt.

The thought was a little sobering.

What the hell am I doing here?

Before regret could properly take hold, the crew member appeared again, approaching her with alien precision, his expression perfectly unreadable, his head tipping in a slight bow.

This one was so different from Mavrel. He was guarded and restrained, polite but detached.

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