Page 7 of Venomous Lust
Those green eyes widened so much that he could see the rings of gold around the pupils. Striking. That round mouth closed and flattened into a line. Something passed over that smooth, dainty face, erasing the lines of fear on her delicate, rounded features. Her green eyes lined with gold took on a darker shade and her small chin lifted by a fraction.
If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she looked defiant. But no human female ever dared look at him with that kind of bravado in her eyes.
“I guess that’s for me to know.” The female tossed her head and her lips pursed into the most provocative smirk he had ever seen.
Khal’s seed stem twitched stubbornly as he stared at the small female, displeasure growing in his mind as she defied him. He had no time for games, not when the fate of the entire Ring depended on his mission.
“Tell me your name.” His voice was sharp and cutting, and he didn’t bother softening the edges. He had full authority on this ship, and he didn’t have time to mess around with a female—not even this one.
“Hazel.” The female spoke with her head held high, then crossed her arms across her full breasts. “My name’s Hazel. And you’re Commander Khal.”
“So, you know who I am. Then you should also know not to play with me. What are you doing here?”
Her smirk faltered some and her eyes lost some of their mutinous gleam.
“I’m not playing with you.” She shook her head, then her eyes wandered back to the view. Khal resisted the urge to growl as she stopped paying attention to him.
“Then what are you doing here?” His voice was deeper, harsher than he intended, and she turned a wary gaze to him.
“I was hiding from someone. I ended up climbing into one of the containers under the Myrador,” Hazel admitted, then shook her head, passing a fine-fingered hand through her silky, pale hair.
Khal’s hands twitched as he watched the light strands, wondering how it would feel to grab them by the handful.
What’s the matter with me?
“I must have fallen asleep at some point,” she continued, her voice remote and sad. “The next thing I knew, I was loaded into the ship. Then, this…”
She pointed to the view of space and her face filled with wonder.
“It’s marvelous.”
Irritation replaced his fascination as Khal understood. She was a stowaway, only looking for a little adventure. It wasn’t the first time humans from Aveyn had requested to come aboard the Eok warriors’ spaceships. Every time, he had denied their request. They didn’t yet understand the dangers of the Ring, they had been isolated for too long. There was no idle tourism in the Ring for humans, no easy pleasure to be found. The Eoks’ resources were already spread thin as they fought the eternal war at the Frontier and kept the human population safe on both Aveyn and Earth.
They simply didn’t have time to play babysitters. They were warriors, protectors. Not entertainers.
“You shouldn’t have come here.” Khal turned away from Hazel. “I’m sending you back as soon as we come across an Eok ship.”
“No! I can’t go back to Aveyn.”
Khal heard her plea, that desperate edge in her soft, feminine voice, but he was already turning from her.
His mind was already sorting through the possible ways of getting rid of her. He couldn’t afford to turn back now, not with the Myrador on a clear course for the Frontier. The secrecy of his mission was of paramount importance.
The mission was all that mattered. Compromising it in order to get rid of some human female in search of an easy thrill was more than just a mere complication. He growled, realizing he couldn’t just offload her onto a passing Eok ship—or any ship, for that matter. Not with the Myrador on an obvious course to the Frontier. It would raise too many questions, questions he could not answer.
The only way to send this female back where she belonged without compromising the mission was to drop her off when the tracker chosen by Prime Councilor Aav met with him.
With a bit of luck, he could get rid of both.
“Wait!” A small hand curved around his bicep, and Khal turned to see Hazel standing right next to him. Her proximity sent a rush of arousal into his bloodstream and he stared at her as she licked her lips in a nervous gesture, the tip of her wet, pink tongue darting between those full, soft lips.
She was too close, her female scent too strong, laced with the pheromones of her fear, mixed into a potent aphrodisiac that shot demands straight down to his seed stem. His member stirred anew and he knew this time, it wouldn’t be so tame as before.
He locked gazes with her, noticing how perfect the curve of her throat was. How generous her breasts seemed, enclosed in the synthetic leather. Lust shot through his veins, into his limbs as he glared at the female.
I haven’t taken care of my needs enough since I came to Aveyn. This is the result.
“I can’t go back to Aveyn.” She repeated her plea, her fingers tightening around his flesh, digging in with an intensity that approached erotic. “I want to get to Earth.” Her voice was thin and her eyes full of gut-wrenching hope. “I need to get to Earth.”
