Page 22 of Gravel and Grit

Even knowing the chances were slim to none, Zaek watched her closely, just in case that happened. She was glancing around the cabin, but she didn’t look at any one thing for long before her eyes flitted away again. He noticed she deliberately didn’t look at him, and her cheeks never lost that alluring pink tint.

Instead of being discouraged, that pointed avoidance sent a thrill through him. He’d witnessed that exact show of bashfulness from females on television plays. If he was correct, it was an Earthian female’s way of showing she found a male attractive.

As shocking as that was, and as much as his mind tried to argue that his observations had to be faulty, his body reacted instantly. His wings twitched, ready to unfurl and capture her within their embrace as the prey-drive, singular to a male’s pursuit of a mate, spread through him.

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ZAEK

The little female threw him a smile without really looking at him, one that struck him as both shy and uncomfortable, as if she realized they’d been standing in silence for a few minutes, then stepped around him and walked back to the couch.

Zaek pivoted with her, instinct demanding he keep her in sight, but managed to keep his wings from enfolding her to stop her from moving any farther away.

His already-full mating gland swelled a little more until the distant ache became a twinging pain.

It took a moment for the implications of that to sink in, but when they did, the relief he felt was immense. He hadn’t wanted to express it, even though it made speaking difficult, just in case it really was defective and wouldn’t produce any more fluid.

Unlike humans, his people had different breeds within their species and those different breeds weren’t naturally compatible. To combat that problem and give them access to a wider genetic pool, they’d evolved to have a mating gland. When triggered by the scent their true mate, it produced a specialized liquid that altered the recipient’s genetics, making reproduction possible.

Both males and females had the gland, and it was common practice that the mate with the purer bloodline or more desirable traits, regardless of gender, would be the one to deliver the fluid and ensure compatibility in the

other. Zaek had five horns, which was rare, and meant he had a purer bloodline than most. In fact, he knew of only one Khargal still living that had more—Alkor, one of his Senior Officers.

He’d always assumed he would be the one to provide the fluid, if he ever found his mate, so hadn’t been willing to take the chance his gland wouldn’t replenish as it was supposed to. But, the ache in his jaw told him it was indeed making more, meaning he could express it without fear.

Which also means I can speak to her without sounding like an imbecile.

Eager to do so, he pressed his tongue against the gland then swallowed the sweet fluid as he closed the distance between them. Unfortunately, the second he sat down and looked at her his mind went blank.

An awkward silence stretched as he tried and failed to find something to say.

“So,” she started just as the strained quiet reached painful levels. Rubbing her palms against the material of her pants, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Thank you for saving my life. I’m sorry they shot at you, and that their reaction was so… well, violent.”

“It was my pleasure,” he purred in response. His lips curled into a smile before what he’d said registered. “Not getting shot, of course! That was unfortunate. And painful.”

She chuckled and seemed to relax, the tension he hadn’t noticed in her now apparent by its absence. Evidently, the way to get an Earthian to trust you was to be awkward. Who knew? She twisted until she was sitting sideways on the couch, her leg folded in front of her on the cushion, and really looked at him for the first time since he’d woken.

“What’s your name?”

The question was surprising. He’d never had a human inquire about his name before, but it was the expression on her face that really threw him.

There was no fear, only interest and eager curiosity.

“Zaek. By what are you called?” he asked, leaning forward slightly in anticipation of her answer.

“Mira. It’s nice to meet you,” she said with a smile and extended her hand toward him.

Zaek frowned and tilted his head to see if she had anything in her palm before abruptly recalling it was one of the ways humans greeted each other.

Moving quickly before she could withdraw, he gently curled his fingers around her hand then stared at that point of contact, oddly charmed by the

way it all but disappeared in his grip and fascinated by the contrast of her pale skin against his dark grey.

Strange how he’d viewed her small stature as an alarming defect until that very moment. He still found it more than a little concerning, but it was as if touching her hand had somehow changed his perception and her tininess became alluring instead of disturbing.

She withdrew from his grip, but slowly as if she’d felt something from that touch as well.

“What happened to your speech impediment? You were talking… well, a little oddly earlier, and now you’re speaking perfect English.”

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