Page 44 of Avery

My heart thumps in my chest at his words, and I can't stop the smile on my face. I have no interest in doing anything in front of anyone, but it's still nice to hear that Phial feels the same way. He feels the same and wants to keep me all for himself. That's the even better part because that means he wants me forever.

"Crew of the Jolly Folly?" A human male steps up to us when we enter the transport dock.

Phial's in front of me, his hand on his blaster as soon as he registers that someone's paying us any attention. His feathers tickle my nose, and I brush them down since he refuses to step forward to give me a little more space.

"That's us," Alik answers. I turn around just in time to see him pulling Sloane's roaming hands from his pants and all but pushing her into Jovi's hold.

"We have two transports for you," the man says. "One for your crew to get you situated in the house we have you staying in during the trial and the other to take Ms. Crawford to her safe house."

Phial's body tenses, and I can tell he's about to start arguing with the man who's only doing his job. Thankfully, Alik notices, too, and since he can stay neutral way easier, he takes a few steps until he's the head of our group. All communication is going through him, or at least that's what his body language says.

"Who can go with her?" Alik asks.

"Intergalactic Alliance rules state she can't have anyone join her except a fated if she's from one of the species that mate," the man says. His voice is a little shaky since Alik, standing in front of him with his arms crossed over his dagger-clad body, is much more intimidating than my male. I mean, Phial could blow theguy into a million pieces, but he's not as physically threatening as a ginormous four-armed purple man.

Alik looks over his shoulder, giving me a look that tells me I have two seconds to figure out whether I'm going alone to my safe house or taking Phial. I'm sure he'd find me anyway, but I don't need him getting his crew in trouble with the Intergalactic Alliance if he's caught. Or worse, if he's seen as a threat to me and killed before I can tell them he's not.

"I scent matched this male," I pipe up behind Phial, pressing a hand to his bicep so I can peek over his arm. "This one." I tighten my hold on his arm, telling him he better not ruin this for us. "Smells so good. So great. I was altered by the smugglers my father sold me to. You know that, right? Well, I'm basically a Rytharian now. This male smells so good. Yup, I'd probably go mad without him. Wouldn't be able to testify or anything if I didn't have him."

There are a lot of eyes on me as I blabber on and on about how I'm scent matched to Phial. I'm not sure how long the confusion lasts until they figure it out, but then Essa adds. "Yes, she sniffs him very often. Just…" She makes three audible sniff sounds. "All day long."

"And her heat is coming up," Sloane adds, causing my face to stain pink. "You better let her mate stay with her, or she'll be in so much pain and need to fuck someone, and you wouldn't work because, well, you won't be enough. They have to, like, really get full."

The human male who, as far as we know, is only in charge of getting us into our cars is looking at us with a mixture of worry and embarrassment. His face is bright red, his eyes wide.

"I'll alert the safe house that you'll be arriving with a Sytharian male," he says, looking down at his comm and typing quickly. He turns on his heels, calling out behind him. "Follow me, and I'll get you in your transports."

I'm still shaky when Phial returns behind me and nudges me toward the transport ships. I'm not surprised the lie worked, but it was still a lie that we'll have to keep up. Phial's hand stays on my waist as we walk. It's a reminder that he's with me now. With me until all of this is over.

nineteen

Phial

The ride to the safe house is quiet and uncomfortable. Well, I'm not uncomfortable. I am decidedly the opposite of uncomfortable because Avery's all but claimed me as her mate.

Was it a lie to make sure I could be with her while she's having to be stuck on Earth for this trial? Sure, sure, but really, I care very little whether her claim on me is a lie or not because it isn't a lie as far as I'm concerned.

If her sense of smell had been altered, she'd be huffing my pheromones every single second of every day. I'd let her, too. She could make a home in my lap and nuzzle her nose up against the curve of my neck where my scent is strongest from my scent glands, and she could smell and lick and touch me all day long.

"I packed the bag Helna gave you with the extra furs in your luggage," I mention when I can't control the giddiness inside of me.

It's childish to bring up the mysterious pack and all of the goodies that could be inside of it, but I'm a curious male, and Iknow it has heat supplies in it. I just wish to know what those kinds of supplies might be.

Unfortunately for me my plan isn't working. Avery's cheeks go pink, sure, but she only clamps her thighs tight together and doesn't say anything else. Surely, she's not already regretting her choice to claim me as a mate.

"So…" I stretch my legs out long in front of me, eyeing the male in the front of the transport. He's not the same male who showed us to the transports. That male got into the driver's seat of the other transport. This male isn't looking back at us at all, which is fine. It's not like I have much to say to him.

I click my claws together, tapping them a few times until the silence bothers me again. "Oh, we can finally start the next season ofChoosing Her Mate. I think this will be a good one. I haven't looked at spoilers, but I have a feeling."

My fingers twitch at the slight lie, and Avery's head whips around so she can narrow her eyes at me. Of course, telling me about her bag of secrets doesn't get her to react, but maybe having looked up a brief synopsis of the season has her hackles all getting raised.

"How much did you look up?" Avery asks, her voice taking on an edge I've never had directed at me. Oh, this is very much not going how I wished for it to. I should've been happy in the silence.

"Look, Avery, sometimes the mother—"

"Phial!" She squeals my name in a way that I know means she's unhappy with me, but it also sounds very much like the way she cries my name when she's falling apart on my tongue and my cocks aren't picking up that this is not the time to be getting excited.

"It was only a few sentences," I tell her.

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