Page 7 of Kameer's Mate
The huge Darrvason stands in the doorway, his massive body blocking our path. Yet he continues standing there, staring at me with his nostrils flared as he takes deep breaths.
Though he doesn’t spare Tasha a single glance, I move in front of my sister and reach around to grasp her hand.
“Excuse us,” I say, lifting my chin. I won’t allow this beast to intimidate us. His pronouncement that he wants to claim me as his mate still frightens me, but I remind myself that I’m not on the list. I’m safe. Although it probably wouldn’t be wise to find myself cornered by the alien male again, and I make a note to avoid traveling the corridors alone if I can help it.
A wicked smile spreads across Chief Kameer’s infuriatingly handsome face. I don’t like that I find him so attractive, but damn it, I do. He’s quite possibly the most handsome Darrvason male I’ve ever seen. Suddenly, I have difficulty breathing, and heated pulses affect my nether area.
The alien finally steps aside and makes a sweeping gesture with a big, six-fingered hand. I clutch my sister’s hand harder and guide her off the elevator, giving Chief Kameer a wide berthas we step into the corridor, though I still somehow feel the heat of his body, a beckoning wave of warmth. I also experience an odd tingling sensation on my upper arms, almost to the point of itchiness. How very strange. Perhaps I’m allergic to the alien.
A huge breath escapes me once we’re several feet into the corridor, relief pelting me that we’re in the clear. There are dozens of people in the corridor, as well as a few security officers. It’s not as though Chief Kameer can grab me again. At least not without drawing lots of attention.
I hasten down the corridor, and Tasha nearly trips as she tries to keep up. I must get away from Chief Kameer. As quickly as possible. I curse my luck for having drawn the attention of a Darrvason male. It’s the last complication I need right now.
“What the hell, sis?” Tasha tugs her hand from mine. “Slow down, girl. That Darrvason can’t hurt us. He’s not allowed to touch us. I know he’s big and scary looking, but please relax. The Darrvason-human alliance dictates that the engineers and dignitaries who visit theJansonnaaren’t allowed to?—”
“I know what the alliance dictates,” I snap. I slow my steps and give Tasha an apologetic look. “Sorry. He just startled me, that’s all. Come on, let’s go make cookies and listen to music.”
“It’s okay.” She smiles, always so forgiving. Just like Mom. It’s my father and I who are more prone to holding grudges. “Yes, an afternoon of making cookies and listening to music sounds great.”
Though I know I shouldn’t look back, I can’t help it, and just before we round the corner, I peer over my shoulder.
Chief Kameer is still standing in front of the elevator, his glowing red gaze fixed directly on me. The words he’d uttered earlier in the day come rushing back.I’ll be watching.
Chapter 4
KAMEER
I peerat the screen in my temporary quarters aboard the Jansonna, finally sitting down to investigate Mandy Benton, the female who’s occupied my thoughts all day.
A growl of pleasure leaves me as I recall her shocked expression when the elevator opened on Deck Fifteen. I’d gone for a walk on that particular deck after my meeting with Admiral Tornn, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
Not only did I manage to see Mandy, but I’d stood very close and inhaled the scent of her budding arousal, delicious and tinged with an innocence I ache to plunder.
Perhaps I ought to be more concerned about the recent attempts on my life and the lack of progress in the investigation, but Mandy has suddenly become my singular focus. My obsession.
My dual shafts thicken as desire builds inside me, and my curiosity about the golden-haired female peaks when I discover her age. Twenty-Three. Yet she’s not on the list. Hmm.
I study every file I can find that mentions her name. I learn the identities of her parents, and I also realize the female with her on the elevator was likely her younger sister, Tasha, a twenty-year-old who also wasn’t on today’s list. How very, very interesting.
Mandy indeed works at the salon on Deck Twenty as a beautician. She received high marks in school but left early so she could work with her mother serving the Founders and their descendants, wealthy residents of theJansonnawho bankrolled the construction of the worldship before the last of humanity departed Earth. Her sister, as it turns out, suffered from a deadly virus that Doctor Zahhn, a Darrvason physician with whom I’m acquainted, has successfully treated.
I continue pouring through the information, until I discover something that makes my blood boil.
Mandy Benton is engaged to a human male by the name of Ned Perry, a ninety-two-year-old Founder.Fluxx. I growl and lean closer to the screen, my fingers flying across the surface as I search for more details about the engagement and the elderly male called Ned.
Realization gradually dawns. The old, frail man on the floor of the salon must’ve been Ned Perry. If only one of the blasters in my hands had inadvertently discharged at the time. Murderous impulses ravage my senses. I want the male dead yesterday.
I make careful note of where Ned Perry’s quarters are located, as well as the wing of Deck Fifteen where Mandy’s quarters are located. She lives with her parents and sister, so getting her alone might prove a challenge, but I won’t let the fact that she doesn’t live alone stop me from pursuing her.
A plan starts to form, a rather genius one, and I push away from the screen and head for the bridge, where I’m certain I’ll find Captain Warren at this hour. The conniving human leader won’t be happy to see me, he never is, but as the chief Darrvasonengineer organizing the continuing repairs and advancements to the once-dilapidatedJansonna, he cannot refuse to meet with me.
As expected, I find the captain of the worldship on the bridge, and I motion for him to approach where I stand in the doorway. He narrows his eyes at me, then passes command to another officer before he strides in my direction. Agitation billows from his small form, but I ignore it. He can’t intimidate me. Even if he complains about me to the emperor or the admiral of the Darrvason fleet, I doubt any of my superiors will agree to reassign me elsewhere.
Being an engineering genius who’s saved your people countless times comes with its advantages.
“Ah, Captain Warren,” I say in a forced friendly tone that I suspect grates the human male’s nerves. “It’s so nice of you to agree to join me for a walk.”
His nostrils flare and he sighs. He glances over his shoulder at the bridge, clearly reluctant to depart his station, but he turns and gives me a quick nod. We walk into the corridor, aiming for one of the lesser traversed wings so we might have the privacy I’m seeking.
