Page 8 of Her Alien Mercenaries
At first she thought his hair was blond but then quickly realized it was darker, with blond highlights that could only come from long hours spent outside. He had it cut short at the sides but with enough length on top for it to sweep across his forehead.
When her eyes met his, her heart did a little stutter step in her chest. His gaze was as bright as a laser, and the amber color of his eyes contrasted with the rim of black around irises and slightly oval pupils.
Torren broke the silence before it went on too long. “You took your time. Was there a headwind or are you getting old?” he asked, his tone as dry as moon dust.
“You barely beat me here,” Zanyr argued. “And in case you forgot, I’m younger than you. Better looking, too.” He folded back his wings and smoothed back his hair with one hand.
“Yes, but I was carrying the most precious of cargo. Zanyr, this is Jenna. Ourmahaya.”
She reached out her hand, but Zanyr ignored it. Instead, he crossed the space between them and then dropped to one knee, his gaze locked on her face. “Mahaya. With the breath of my lungs, I welcome you into our lives.”
She should have said something eloquent, or at least intelligent, but all Jenna managed was an incoherent squeak. Anxiety locked up her lungs and froze her brain. Part of her wanted to flee, to hide from all this attention. This was such an important moment, and she was screwing it up.
Stupid, she chided herself.Why am I always so stupid and useless?
She curled her fingers into fists and dug her nails into her palms. The pain pushed back the momentary panic, and she knew what to do.
“Hello, Zanyr,” she greeted him in his language. “May the ancestors bless this meeting and grant all of us fair winds in our travels together.”
Both males stared at her, frozen.
“You speak our language?” Torren asked a second before Zanyr asked the same question.
“I speak several dialects of Vardarian,” she said, fighting to keep her voice calm and even. She would not, could not, screw this up any more than she already had.
“You speak it well,” Zanyr added, his lips quirking into an approving smile as he rose to his feet. “Ourmahayais as smart as she is beautiful.”
The unexpected compliment made her cheeks burn. He thought she was beautiful?
Torren shot the other male an amused look. “And here I thought you’d forgotten how to be charming. Have you been practicing on your plants?”
Zanyr made a rude gesture with one hand but never took his eyes off her. His nostrils flared, his next inward breath loud enough for her to hear it clearly. “You smell like raindrops on drought-stripped soil. Gentle, soothing, and full of promise. Youareourmahaya.”
Torren made a noise somewhere between a snort and a growl. “You doubted me?”
Zanyr shot Torren a wicked grin that made her pulse quicken again. Damn it, they both had bad-boy vibes. She was doomed.
“Doubt you? Never. How could I when you keep telling me you’re always right?”
Jenna giggled. She hadn’t meant to, but her emotions were all over the place, and her nerves were shot.
Both males turned to her, fixing her with smoldering gazes that made what little of her brain still functioned start to melt away. “Sorry. The way you talk to each other is endearing.”
“Endearing?” Zanyr looked horrified.
Torren scowled. “I don’t believe anyone has ever described us that way before.”
She bowed her head slightly, afraid that she’d offended them. “It’s not bad. It’s… well, cute.”Veth. She was making this worse. “I mean, it’s clear you are fond of each other. Like brothers. Teasing each other and pushing buttons.”
Damn it, would they even understand what she meant? Colloquialisms rarely translated well. “Did that make sense to you?”
Zanyr nodded. “I take your meaning. He’s my brother. Bound by blood and vow.”
“I’m glad you see it for what it is. Our banter is just that. We don’t mean anything by it.” He paused before adding, “Most of the time.”
She smiled at that, the next words coming out of her mouth before she thought them through. “You two are like the brothers I always wished I had.”
Their good mood vanished immediately. “Oh no. He is my brother.Notyours,ana-thi.We are your mates,” Zanyr growled. He took her by the hand and pulled her toward him.
