Page 33 of Alien Engineer's Mate

"Perhaps if you spent less time cataloging my supposed failings," Maax growled, settling back into a defensive stance, "you might land a third hit before the sun burns out."

V'Ash's grin widened as they circled each other. "Oh, so therearememories distracting you? Do tell."

"Focus on your form." Maax feinted left, testing V'Ash's guard. "Your right side is still open."

"My form is perfect," V'Ash countered, dancing away from Maax's probing strike. "Unlike your attempts at deflection. How was dinner?"

A flash of green eyes and soft lips filled Maax's mind. His defenses wavered for a fraction of a second—just long enough for V'Ash to slip past his guard again. This time Maax managed to keep his feet. Just.

"Draanth," he muttered, shaking his head to clear it. "Fine. Dinner was fine."

"'Fine' doesn't leave you walking into basic strikes like a first-year recruit," Aaran called across the training space as he and his partner paused their own match. "Come on, brother. Details!"

"Some of us are trying to train," Maax protested, but his heart wasn't in it. The memory of Eira's smile as she watched their children together warmed his chest.

"And some of us," V'Ash dropped his fighting stance, "are trying to hear about our lead engineer's courtship. Which is clearly going well, judging by that smirk on your face."

Maax realized he was smiling and schooled his features. But it was too late—the other warriors had caught the scent of gossip like krin on a hunt. They began to gather, their own sparring matches forgotten.

"Emily enjoyed herself?" Aaran asked in concern. He'd helped in the nursery enough to care about the answer.

"She and Grace became instantly inseparable," Maax admitted, giving up on maintaining any pretense of continuing training. "They spent an hour choosing the perfect ribbons for Red Dragon and Bear.”

"Grace is..." V'Ash prompted.

"Eira's youngest daughter. She's Emily's age." The warmth in his chest spread as he remembered the girls' excited chatter. "They met in the nursery."

"And the boys?" another warrior asked.

"Kyle has a good grasp of engineering principles." Pride colored his voice. "He understood the concept behind the environmental control systems as soon as I explained them. And Leo..." He paused. "Leo is protective. Always cautious."

"A warrior's instincts," V'Ash nodded in approval. "Looking after his siblings."

"Like someone else we know," Aaran added, shooting a glance at Maax. "But what about their mother? You can't expect us to believe you spent the whole evening discussing engineering with children."

Heat crept up Maax's neck as Eira's face filled his mind again—the way she'd looked in the restaurant's soft lighting, how her hand had felt in his, the taste of her lips when he'd kissed her...

"Draanth," V'Ash breathed. "Look at his face. Our mighty lead engineer is smitten."

"I am not—" Maax started to protest, but the words died in his throat. Who was he trying to fool? Her smile had haunted his dreams all night.

His wrist bracer chimed, engineering's emergency tone cutting through the warriors' laughter. The readout showed a power fluctuation in the medical bay's critical systems. His fingers moved to respond, but V'Ash knocked his hand away from the controls.

"Let R'akk handle it," V'Ash said. "He needs the experience."

"The medical bay?—"

"Has three layers of redundant systems that you personally designed." V'Ash's expression turned sly. "Besides, we haven't heard about the kiss yet."

Maax's head snapped up. "How did you?—"

"You keep touching your lips when you think no one's looking," Aaran smirked. "Like a love-struck adolescent after his first?—"

"It seems our Lead Engineer moves quick." The cold comment sliced through their banter. N'val, one of the younger warriors from the gortox training group, stepped into their circle. His expression carried none of the others' good humor. "First that teacher female, now a newly arrived candidate?"

The temperature in the training hall dropped. V'Ash and Aaran moved subtly, their stances widening as N'val continued.

"Some of us have waited months for a match," N'val snarled. "Yet you somehow draw the attention of two potential mates while qualified warriors remain alone?"

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