Page 72 of Fractured Souls

It occurred to Nythian that he hadn’t finished teaching her how to use it yet, not to his satisfaction anyway.

Through a half-lidded gaze, he quietly observed his mate.

Mate. Just the very thought was enough to fill him with immense pride. He had no qualms about taking her down to Tharos, because he would protect her with every fiber of his being, and when he was in this kind of mood, nothing would touch her.

She wouldn’t need to fight. He’d make certain of it.

“You look good,” he said softly, admiring the way her light Callidum nanomesh armor molded against her curves. The obsidian suit was custom-designed; it was part of a secret program Tarak had developed to adapt Kordolian technology for human use.

For very exclusive human use.

Pride surged through him.

Alexis was the very first human to be fitted with her very own Kordolian-made armor and weapons.

Amongst the human mates, there were several who could fight. Rykal’s mate, Arin the former Enforcer, was one of them. Then there was Kainan, the ex-gangster who had caught Zyara’s attention. As far as humans went, Kai’s skills were up there.

The ink-skinned human was shockingly good with numbers and credits too. So much so that he’d been appointed Darkstar Corporation’s official fixer, the one who handled the jobs and contracts and payment.

But even Kai’s job could turn messy sometimes.

The Universe was a dangerous place. There were times when they would need to fight. Their humans needed better technology. Kordolian weapons were more powerful, more deadly… although if Nythian had his way, Alexis would never need to use hers.

He would protect her, always. That was how it should be.

“You look good too,” she smirked, her gaze tuning almost lewd as it traveled over his body. She was bold, this female.

“What?” Nythian shrugged, liking the attention. He was becoming hard again. “This is my working uniform.” He wore his exo-armor of course; it was a second skin to him, and he rarely had need for any other sort of garment.

“What, you never heard the saying about a man in uniform?”

“No. Is that a human thing? Care to enlighten me?”

“Some people have fetishes for that sort of thing.”

“And are you one of them?” The thought of her hiding some secret fetish… some dark sexual desire…

Now he was properly aroused.

“Nope. I like your body in any outfit.”

“Apparently, I’m even better without clothes.”

“I shouldn’t feed you too many compliments. Not very modest, are you, Kordolian?”

“We rarely are.” He grinned.

She leaned in close, her voice dropping to less-than a whisper. “So tell me, what was it about this,” she held up her obsidian right hand, “that got you so damn excited last night?”

Nythian put his lips close to her ear, cupping his mouth so none of the warriors behind them would hear.

“I’ll tell you a secret,” he whispered, his lower lip grazing her earlobe. “It was the way you did it to me. That Tharian venom... Kaiin almighty, it was the most painful, most intense thing. I was paralyzed for a few heartbeats… helpless beneath you. Then my heart… it stopped… and started beating again.”

“You were paralyzed?”

“Oh, don’t worry, sweet thing. It was glorious. I enjoyed being completely under your power for those precious few heartbeats.”

“Holy shit. I always had you pegged for an unequivocally dominant type.”

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