Page 58 of Her Alien Librarian

“No, thank you,” he replies. Ever the gentleman.

He still hasn’t removed his sunglasses, and my heart sinks. Might as well get this over with.

“What did you want to talk about?”

He sighs heavily and slowly removes his sunglasses to reveal blood-red eyes. I was expecting his irises to be red, but that’s not the case. His irises are the same gray shade that makes his beauty unique, but not so striking that he looks alien. The rest of his eyes, though, are definitely alien. The normally white part is what’s bright red, and it’s deeply unsettling to look at. He looks like he’s on the verge of death. How did Vanessa not scream at the top of her lungs when Axil’s eyes turned?

“Well?” he asks when I don’t say anything.

But I’m not sure what he wants me to say. Congrats on finally finding your mate? Hope you two are very happy together? Hope she doesn’t step on a landmine and get blown to pieces?

“Your eyes are red,” I finally mutter. Then, in a quiet voice, “H-happy for you.”

“You’re happy forme?”

He sounds mad. Why would he be mad about this?

“Of course, I am,” I tell him, forcing my lips into a smile that I hope looks genuine. “So, who’s the lucky lady?”

Mylo tilts his head to the side, looking at me strangely. He takes a step forward. “Samantha, it’s you.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

I wasn’t expecting that, and I still don’t understand why he seems so pissed about it.

“I thought your eyes turned in front of your mate.”

“Well, if you hadn’t run inside so quickly last night, they would have.” He rubs his eyes, and I remember hearing about how much they itch right before the color turns. “I almost clawed my eyes out on the way home,” he says, confirming the itch. He sits on the couch and drops his head in his hands. “I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t sleep at all. There’s still part of me that wonders how we’re supposed to proceed.”

“What do you mean?” I ask. Isn’t this a done deal? His eyes turned red for me, so I’m his mate. Seems simple enough, and I’m certainly not bothered by the outcome. Being with Mylo is what I want.

It’s clearly not what he wants, though, based on the tortured expression he’s wearing.

Frustration starts to grow the longer I look at his scowl. Would it really be so terrible to have me as a mate?

“I’m sorry this is such a bummer for you,” I tell him, striding into the kitchen in a huff and pouring myself a glass of lemonade.

“Why would you say that?” he asks.

Seriously? “Look at you,” I shout. “You’re fucking miserable that I’m your mate.”

He rises to his feet, his fists clenched at his sides as he yells, “I’m not miserable that you’re my mate. I’m afraid that you will run.”

“What?”

Is that truly the source of his anguish? He’s worried I’m going to bolt at the first sign of trouble? I suppose it’s not an unheard-of theory. Historically, that has been my move but only because there wasn’t much for me to come home to.

Mylo’s feet remain planted across the room. His chest heaves, and I can’t tell if he’s about to snap from rage or arousal, or both.

I’d prefer both.

“Samantha,” he begins, his voice ragged. “I have loved you since the night we met, and each night since. My draxilio knew it immediately. He’s told me over and over what you are to me, but I didn’t listen. I was stubborn. Foolish.”

I suck in a breath, and I’m pretty sure my heart stops.

“Living for the smiles of another never appealed to me until those smiles belonged to you. Now I can’t picture my life without them.”

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