Page 2 of Baby For the Mosaic Med Chief

He didn’t answer the question, not wanting to lie. “Before we discuss anything else, may I ask—how do you feel about being matched as a proxy for Commander Zartik?”

Briana lowered her gaze, fingers twisting nervously in her lap. “I’m afraid,” she said after a moment. “This is all so new to me. Zartik seems honorable but distant. I don’t know if we’ll be compatible. I know it’s just a year...or until we have a baby, but...” She bit her lusciously full lower lip, betraying her anxiety.

He clenched his fists, fighting the possessive flare blooming in his chest. “You shouldn’t have to mate with one you fear.”

He began pacing, desperate energy boiling through his veins. “What occurred between us—the Mating Flare—it signifies an exceptionally strong bond. I know I’m still a stranger to you, but I can’t ignore what fate forged between us.”

She frowned. “The what?”

He realized it was all on his side and sighed. It was hard to focus but he tried as he stopped and turned to her, eyes blazing. He intended to try to rationally explain, but an impassioned plea burst from him instead. “Come away with me, Briana. We can leave and start over somewhere.”

Briana’s eyes widened in shock. “Just...leave? But why would you risk so much for me?”

Quillin crossed back to her in two strides, grasping her hands in his. “Because you’re mine now. It’s the Mating Flare. I have no choice but to protect you. I want to. Need to.”

Her eyes were wide as she tried to pull her hands from his. “I think you must be ill, sir.”

He was half-mad with need. Did that count?

“What is this Mating Flare you keep mentioning?”

“It’s an instinctive awareness that you’re my mate. My ideal match in every way. It’s more mystical than medical.” How galling that was to admit for a man of science, though he didn’t care about any conflicts with his beliefs right now. He was consumed by the need to claim her.

He brought her hands to his lips, basking in her sweet scent and soft ebony skin. “Say you’ll come with me,” he said, no longer trying to mask the desperation in his voice. “I can’t bear the thought of you in another’s arms. I have to claim you as my mate.”

Chapter Two

BRIANA STARED AT HIM, shocked by his words. “Claim me as your mate? But...we’ve only just met.”

He grasped her hands, his golden eyes boring intensely into hers. “It’s the Mating Flare. Extremely rare, but it signifies an unbreakable bond between us.”

She jerked her hands back. “Even if that’s true, I was matched to Zartik. I’m supposed to be his proxy.”

At the mention of Zartik, his expression darkened. “You belong to me now. I can’t allow that mating to occur.” He moved closer, firmly gripping her shoulders. “Come away with me,”

Briana’s mind reeled, unsure what to do. She wanted to run back to the safety of her POD, but that would just bring Faction enforcers after her. Yet she also feared what Zartik might do if he learned of this supposed bond with the Med Chief. She certainly wasn’t eager to be a proxy for the reserved and distant Mosaic Commander, and Quillin seemed preferable—not that she intended to be a surrogate for either of them if she could help it.

---