Page 42 of Guardian's Heart

I threw the male into the room, followed by his wailing mate. I closed the door and locked it. Then proceeded to the next one and the next until they were all locked up.

"Wow, now what?" Nova took a deep breath.

"You were talking to them," I accused. "I should lock you up too."She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I was only trying to figure out what they were up to, and then worried they wouldn’t let me leave."

I nodded curtly at her, accepting her explanation.

"Aren't you going to say thank you?" she demanded, digging her fists into her hips.

"For what?" I asked, honestly puzzled.

She threw her arms into the air. "For trying to figure out what they were up to so I could warn you. For fighting at your side."

"Would you have joined their group?" I didn't like the idea of her leaving me.

Perplexed, she shook her head. "No."

"So you were on my side?" I clarified.

"Duh, that's what I just said." She looked honestly taken aback by the mere suggestion that she might have betrayed me or by me believing so.

"Then I don't need to thank you."

This time, she looked put out and adorable. I suppressed a grin. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I explained with more patience than I realized I had, "we are on the same side; we fought for a common cause, so there is no need for me to thank you, just as you don’t need to thank me." Her lips opened and closed in quick succession. Finally, she didn’t know how to respond. I would have enjoyed my little victory a lot more if I hadn’t felt something dripping down my back.

"What's wrong?" Nova demanded, her eyes moving up and down my body. I tried to look over my shoulder, but I wasn't that flexible, no matter how much I strained.

"Let me see." Nova hadn't even finished her words before she circled me halfway. "Oh my God, is that from the Morlocks?"

“Morlocks?” I echoed.

“You know, those creatures who attacked us,” she explained while the tips of her fingers carefully danced over the uninjured parts of my back.

“Mmuhr'Rhongs,” I mumbled, distracted by the light brushes of her fingers dancing over my skin. I hoped she would never stop. The desire to feel her, be inside her, roared to life, nearly consuming me. It had been the same as when I left my room earlier to shower in the quarters I had assigned Nock. Like a coward, I had avoided seeing Nova from then on until she appeared on the screen. Now that I was next to her, though, I didn’t think I would be capable of restraining myself any longer.

"Mmmurh what?"

"Mmuhr'Rhongs."

"There you are." Nock appeared, yawning in the doorway. I should have been glad for him to interrupt the mysterious spell between Nova and me, but I wasn't. I wanted to growl at him.

"How long did you let me sleep in the hangar?" Nock wanted to know, making his way over to the beverage dispenser. He wasn't a tall male, but he had definitely grown after he gotsome sleep and was back to the same physique as when he had approached me what seemed to be an eternity ago.

He returned with a steaming cup of quan, a beverage the Kreds preferred on their waterless planet. "Oh, you found her."

"You don't remember?" If they got tired enough, Kreds could forget chunks of time, but I had never seen it. It surprised me when I remembered our escape last night, our interactions, and the way he had taken charge of the humans. If all that had been sorely based on instinct, then Nock was a brave male and grew in my estimation.

"Nope, I woke up in the hangar, thanks a lot for just leaving me there, by the way." His nose twitched in disapproval. "I have no idea how I got there or why."

Nova cleared her throat, and I remembered I hadn't introduced the two yet. Not officially. "Nock, this is Nova. Nova, Nock."

Nova held out her hand to shake and inadvertently exposed the dark lines on her arms. Nock's eyes narrowed. Instead of shaking her hand, he took her wrist to pull her arm closer to him. The reaction I experienced was nothing anything could have prepared me for. Possessiveness didn't even come close to describing the red-hot anger surging through me, originating from deep down in my belly. My hand shot forward, ready to encircle the Kred's throat.

I forced my instinct down enough so that Nock could grab my hand with his other to scrutinize our marks side by side.

"What is that?" he asked, astounded. "I had no idea you Space Guardians sprouted mating marks. What species are you anyway?"

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