Page 4 of Tornn's Mate
That’s what Admiral Tornn said would happen to those who prove troublesome. A sense of helplessness falls over me, and I feel a smidge guilty that I’m suddenly worried more for myself than I am for Thalia or the other women.
What if my mate hurts me? What if he’s cruel?
Nathan’s handsome face flashes in my mind. God, how I’ll miss him. He’s sweet and kind and everything I ever wanted in a husband. I could easily picture myself having children and sharing a happy life with him aboard theJansonna.
The vision soon fades and is replaced with Admiral Tornn, who has moved to stand directly in front of me.
He levels a disapproving look at me, as though he can sense I was just thinking about the human man I love.
His nostrils flare. He leans close and takes a deep inhale.
Instinctively, I step back. I can’t help it. All the Darrvasons scare me, but he frightens me the most.
His commanding presence makes me tremble, and the sharpness of his gaze makes me feel stripped of all my defenses.
There’s movement around us as other alien males in the docking bay come forward to claim their mates. How they decide who belongs to whom, I have no idea. Maybe they’re picking the woman they find most attractive. It might be as simple as that.
“You’re mine.”
“I want you.”
“Come with me, human female.”
Though I hear other women being claimed and escorted out of the docking bay, I can’t tear my gaze from Admiral Tornn.
I start to get a bad feeling.
As I peer up at him, my neck begins to ache. How tall is he, anyway? Seven feet? Seven and a half? His size intimidates me as much as his steely air of command and those cold purple eyes.
It's not until I realize we’re completely alone in the docking bay that I start shaking so hard, I lose the grip on my suitcase. Before it can crash to the floor, the admiral’s hand shoots down and he grasps the handle in a reflex so fast it’s eerily unhuman.
My stomach flips as I wonder how quickly he can run. Not that I was thinking about escaping him at present, but if I ever needed to flee for my own safety? Damn. I would be so screwed.
He steps closer and places a finger beneath my chin, forcing me to hold his gaze.He’s touching me. My dread intensifies.
And yet…
And yet I’m also filled with undulating warmth, and I have the strangest urge to lean into his touch, to step into his arms and breathe deeply of his rich, masculine scent.
We’re alone. All the other women have been claimed.
I’m the only one left.
Oh God oh God oh God.
His next words are spoken in a deep, possessive tone.
“You aremine, human female.”
Chapter2
TORNN
Savage hunger consumesme as I trail my fingers over the female’s soft cheek. I also touch her hair, tucking an errant strand behind her tiny, delicate ear. She’s trembling and her breath occasionally catches in her throat, but she doesn’t try to escape my attentions.
Shock and amazement flare from deep within my psyche. She’s the first female I’ve touched since reaching adulthood, and a long, still moment passes during which I wonder if she is truly real. I tense, half-worried I will awake from a blissful dream.
My need for her is so overwhelming, I experience a sudden attack of dizziness as my dual shafts harden in my pants.
