Page 26 of Krin

Most of the crew knew by now that I had found my K’sha. My activated mating marks were evident without me having to say anything.

I glanced at my biceps. The markings appeared brighter and more vivid after kissing Riley. Knowing I finally confessed to Riley that she was my K’sha, and she had welcomed me as her mate. It filled me with an overwhelming sense of joy.

Before heading to the command center, I had one more thing I had to do.

Now that we had spoken, and I had tasted my mate’s sweet kisses at long last, I did not want to make Riley unhappy by not allowing her to be part of the ship’s crew.

It was my duty as her mate to do whatever would make her happy. I had to trust that my K’sha would be safe aboard the Chetok even as a crew member.

With that thought, I made my way to engineering to speak to Aza.

The engineer and our best pilot saw me approach. He stood with his arms crossed and a slight grin. “Captain. What can I do for you?”

My earlier irritation vanished when we had spoken telepathically back in the training ring. He assured me he was not pursuing Riley. Stating his only reason for training with her was because she seemed lonely.

Which was entirely my fault.

It wasmyjob to make certain she was no longer lonely. Riley was my priority, and I regretted not saying so earlier.

“What information do you have about Riley’s experiences as a warrior?” I asked, assuming the two would have spoken about such things.

Aza grunted. “I only know she was a patrol soldier, with a talent for computerized and mechanical tech. Why not askherfor more details? I’m sure she would gladly tell you. Iknow she would like to work on the ship.” His voice was not admonishing, but it was clear he thought I hadn’t handled things well regarding Riley. He continued. “If she wants to apprentice in engineering, I would be happy to teach her. She is a quick learner.”

A growl rose up from deep inside me. Aza’s brows rose as he watched me. His hands went up. “I wanted to make the offer. That is all.”

He had already spent enough time with my mate. “I will speak with her,” I stated, before walking away.

10

Riley

EVERY TIME I THOUGHTabout my gorgeous alien Captain, my mind went to the toe curling kisses Krin and I shared. They were like the perfect appetizer, hinting at the promising and delicious feast that awaited.

I was so turned on when we made out, I practically begged him to take me right there in the training ring. He kissed me like he was starving. It was absolutely mind-blowing!

Nobody had ever kissed me like that.

My mind still reeled from the things he said to me and what they meant. I wasn’t sure what to expect moving forward. There was a nagging worry within me that I wouldn’t be able to make Krin happy. What if things fizzled out once we had sex?

He’d probably had tons of women in his bed, how could I compare to them? Would I even be able to satisfy him?

Stop it,I told myself as I strolled down the hall to meet Aza. This would be over before it began if I let my fears get in the way. Krin wasn’t like the men back on Luna base. I just had to keep reminding myself that.

Just in case, I didn’t want to get my hopes up or anything, so I decided to focus instead on distracting myself.

Krin and I had made no definite plans, but I hoped he too was eager to continue our make-out session. All I knew was I wanted to do a lot more than kiss him next time.

Aza and I headed to the training ring to pass some time, where he promised to show me bladed weapon techniques. Ialso learned new skills using Protectorate weapons and fighting techniques, which was important to me. Even if I wasn’t working on the ship right now.

I had high hopes one day I’d be part of the Chetok’s crew.

Aza picked up a training dagger and turned to face me when he suddenly stopped. His tail twitched behind him as if on high alert.

His ears pricked up, and a smile appeared on his face.

Krin strolled into the room seconds later.

At the sight of him, there was a fleeting moment where I struggled to catch my breath. Then I wondered if Krin would be annoyed at me for hanging out with Aza again. The topic of me spending time with my new friend never came up.

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