Page 11 of Alien Devil's Prey
"Why?" The unspoken question became the only solid thing in the room. "Why do you care if I get hurt? To you, I'm just an obstacle, right? An unexpected variable in your perfect plan."
The word—variable—hit me like a physical blow. The same dismissive term Rylos had used. Hearing it from her, laced with so much pain and anger, made something in my chest clench.
"You are not a variable," I said, the words escaping before I could stop them, my voice rougher than I intended.
Her breath caught, and for a moment, the anger in her eyes flickered into something else. Something that made my chest tighten with want.
Then she shoved at my chest, her palms flat against the thin material of my flight suit. "Don't. Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you want to devour me."
The accusation hit too close to the truth. I pulled away, the air thick with unspoken tension. She shoved at my chest again, her eyes blazing with a confusing mix of anger and fear, and followed me as I stalked from the cockpit—because she was never going to let me have the last word.
The look in her eyes—challenging, furious, and something else I didn't want to name—followed me down the corridor.
TAMSIN
Iwasn't done with this. After being pinned against consoles, trapped against viewscreens, and having my space invaded at every turn, I was going to reclaim some control.
He turned in the narrow corridor, those cold red eyes fixing on me. "Stay in the cockpit."
I ignored him, pushing past him to enter my cabin first. The space was barely large enough for the narrow bunk and a small storage locker.
"You don't get to give me orders," I said, whirling to face him as he filled the doorway.
"You could have been killed." His voice was low, dangerous. "If I hadn't?—"
"What? Grabbed me? Held me down?" The words came out edged with a fury I didn't bother to hide. "You think that makes you my savior?"
"I was protecting you."
"I didn't ask for your protection." I stepped closer, until the only landscape in my vision was his face. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"No," he said quietly. "You didn't."
The admission hung between us. "Then why?—"
"Because I couldn't watch you get hurt."
"Why not?" The question came out sharper than I intended. "You're a pirate. A criminal. Someone who takes what he wants and damn the consequences."
His jaw tightened. "You know that's not true."
"Do I?" I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you've been very careful to remind me exactly what I am to you."
"And what's that?"
"A means to an end. Someone you can use and discard when you're done."
The words hit their mark. I saw it in the way his hands clenched at his sides. "Is that what you think?"
"It's what I know." I was close enough now to catch that unique, non-human scent that seemed to bypass my brain and go straight to my bloodstream. A traitorous heat began to pool low in my belly, a physical reaction I furiously ignored. "The question is what you're going to do about it."
"Tamsin." There was warning in his voice, and something else. Something that made my pulse quicken.
"What? Are you going to prove me wrong? Or are you going to stand there and pretend you don't want me?" My body was betraying me, a flush creeping up my neck, but I held his gaze, refusing to back down.
