Page 92 of The Alien's Private Redemption

Ae-cha nodded. "I'm sure you are. Now, relax, you might feel a slight pinch."

He was hit by the full force of Ae-cha's mind. It was disorienting at first, then it was increasingly uncomfortable, like he'd been invaded against his will. Which he had, though he could tell she was attempting to be gentle.

Then he felt it. The slimy, oily wriggle of something that didn't belong in his brain. It was familiar and he realized why he hadn't been able to catch the invasive thought earlier. When he'd thought it had disappeared, it had actually jumped to the last place he would have thought to look for it.

Ae-cha was not gentle about removing it and he felt like part of his brain was being pulled out of his skull.

"Nasty and sloppy," she said with disgust. "And it probably left some damage behind."

"Can you tell who did it?" Angela asked.

"They didn't sign their name," Ae-cha said. "But it was the same person as last time. I think I have an idea."

"Are we safe to try again?"

Zoric knew what Angela was really asking. Were there any more of the evil, intrusive snake-like thoughts.

After a long moment, Ae-cha shook her head. "Hydrate first. And let me get out of the house before you do."

Chapter 21

Angela tried to hide her amusement at Ae-cha's advice to hydrate. It lasted until the lizardwoman was out the front door then burst forth in a laugh that had her doubling over and clutching at her sides.

After everything they'd been through, everything that had happened, being told to drink some water and watch her electrolytes before getting back into bed with the lizardman who had made her pleasure his personal mission was too much.

Zoric grumbled while she laughed and she could hear his claws clacking against the tile in the kitchen. When he returned with two glasses of water and a bag of potato chips, she doubled over again, her sides beginning to ache with the laughter and their earlier exercise.

Eventually, Zoric put the water on the nightstand she hadn't noticed and pulled her into his arms. She giggled as his armswrapped around her and she could feel his smile when he laid his face next to hers.

"It is rather ridiculous, isn't it?" he asked.

"Someone really doesn't want us to be together," she said. "I know we've only known each other for a few days but it feels like we've been trying to get to this point forever. I just don't know why it's so important to someone to stop it."

Zoric ran his hands down her back, stroking her muscles with long, soothing motions. "I don't think it has much of anything to do with me," he said, his voice calm. "I think you are being herded in a very specific direction and I'm suddenly in the way."

"Why do you think that?"

"I've noticed a pattern," he said. "And Ae-cha has, as well. We may have a solution but we're going to have to find someone to help."

"A specific someone?" she asked, though she could already feel the answer across their Bond. He was trying to hide the identity of the person he wanted to call, but she knew whoever it was made him nervous.

"Yes, a specific someone."

"Okay," Angela said. "I trust you if you say you've been seeing a pattern. Do we need to leave right now?"

Even after everything they'd been through, the fire of her desire for him had been banked, not extinguished, and she held some hope of being able to continue what they were doing to the end. There was a golden moment something inside her had been reaching for and, for all the orgasms she'd already had, she couldn't help feeling like she wanted that last one.

Her entire body craved him more with each passing moment.

He smiled and held her tighter. "No, we don't need to leave right now. But you do need to have some of the chips and a glass of water."

She whined. "We can do that later."

"There is a large puddle on the bed that argues we should do it now," he said.

His affection for her pulsed across their Bond in addition to the electric current of desire and she pouted at him, just to see how he would react.

He laughed and lifted her feet off the floor, carrying her over to a dry spot on the bed where he sat her down and fed her potato chips until she reached for the glass of water. She stole a kiss between each chip, the feel of his scales beneath her lips the most natural thing in the world.

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