Page 20 of Her Alien Beast
Chapter 12
VLANN
I pullthe covers over Amira and kiss her forehead. She’s sound asleep in my bed, right where she belongs. It’s early in the night, but I suppose our evening walk around the lake has exhausted her, including our pre-bedtime activities. I leave her to walk around the house, checking windows and doors before setting the security system.
Something feels off, but I’m not sure it’s a danger lurking nearby, or the knowledge that Amira must return home to her family soon. I curse the lack of a mating bond between us. I had hoped to discover Kaxxlorans mated for life, that a firm bond would form between us the first time I claimed her. But my race isn’t as different from the humans or the Marryyns as I’d expected in this regard. I can’t bind her to me simply by pounding into her and releasing my seed. Gods, how I wish it were possible.
My wrist comm buzzes. It’s Owen, and he says the reward has gone up by another ten thousand galactic credits. It’s more than my yearly salary working as an Enforcer, but I can’t muster the enthusiasm Owen is expecting, so I quietly thank him and end the call as quickly as possible.
My stomach twists. The deal, the reward money, the impending trade. I feel sick just thinking about it. Amira can’t leave. She just can’t.
I can’t bring myself to return to Amira while I’m still in a foul mood, so I venture to my office and pour a stiff drink. We haven’t discussed our deal in several rotations and she’s supposed to return to her family the day after tomorrow. It seems a taboo topic between us, an ugly problem lurking in the shadows of our temporary bliss.
Of course, our deal is for Amira to remain with me for seven days. She’s to escape marriage to Gregory Whitworth as I wait for the reward to increase. And increase it has. Sixty thousand galactic credits is a lot of money, but I don’t want a single credit of it. Not even if Amira wishes to honor the deal and see it through to the very end.
I down the rest of the drink in one huge swallow and pour myself another glass. A renegotiation is in order. The deal as it stands now is void, as far as I’m concerned. I finish the second glass of Drustian ale and head to bed.
Tomorrow, I will broach the subject with Amira. And if the past few days are any indication, she will be receptive. We’ve joined our bodies together countless times. We’ve gone on walks, played card games, cooked together, and spent hours talking about a variety of topics.
I think she’s perfect, kind and sweet beyond measure. I can easily imagine her living here with me, my permanent little captive. As I stroke her hair while watching her sleep, my heart fills with warmth and my throat burns under the impact of the emotion I feel for Amira.
I love her.The thought is a whisper in the back of my mind, but the longer I watch her sleeping, the louder the whisper becomes. Tomorrow, I decide. I’ll tell her tomorrow.
I love her, and I want her as mine.
