Page 3 of A Treat For Her Mates

“But you are killers?” I ask.

“This is ridiculous,” V’Lor breaks in. “For now, we are delivery men. When is a good time for us bring you to the woods?”

“You can pick me up after nine.”

“Excellent. Fancy has given us your dwelling coordinates. We will be there tonight.”

“Great. Stay safe out there.”

“We will be safe,” V’Lor mutters.

“It was a pleasure meeting you.” H’Aart gives me a warm look before V’Lor tugs at his sleeve.

They whisper furiously at each other then turn to leave.

“Farewell, Miranda,” H’Aart says and V’Lor rolls his eyes hard. I totally need to get back to the store, but I take a moment to watch them go. And then I take another. They disappear into the shadows of the parking lot, and I wonder if they really will come back and what they possibly could have for me. Chocolate sauce and the two of them? Appealing, but somehow, I don’t think that’s what I’m getting.

Chapter 2: V’Lor

“I hate surprises. Fancy should have warned us in advance.” My cheeks are hot, my heart is racing, and I need to get as far away from Miranda Ruiz as possible.

H’Aart’s lips curl into a teasing smile, and it makes me even hotter. We’re hiking back to our spaceship, which we’ve hidden in the woods. We’ll wait there until we can see Miranda again.

“There’s no way Fancy could have known that Miranda would react like that to us. And even less of a chance that she’d know how we would feel about her. Although her mates warned us. I think it’s kind of funny,” he says and bumps my shoulder with his. He knows this will only inflame me more.

“At least she could have told how beautiful Miranda is, her lovely shape, and those eyes! We could have prepared ourselves better, been on guard so that when we met her that wouldn’t have happened.”

“Are you saying you didn’t like it when she gave us the mating signal? From what I sensed you liked it a lot. And you know I did too.”

“But we are not here to mate, much less find a life partner to complete our trio.”

“Yet, here she is, an irresistible human, sending all the signals our way. She would make a fascinating mate for us. And so enthusiastic. You can tell she’s practically dripping with—”

“Enough! Our mission is to deliver the gift to Miranda and then leave. We must not be detected by the authorities and we must not dally with Miranda. We will do as we promised, then leave. She will stay. That will be that.”

“Or she could decide to come with us. She wouldn’t be the first.”

“No! We must not think that way. If we do it could lead to disaster -- bad decisions and heartbreak. It’s not worth the risk.”

“But that look in her eyes, her scent…”

“It’s best to forget about that.”

“I guess we can try.”

“We must.”

“We’ll see.”

The two of us must have been walking extra quickly as we argue, because we’ve already arrived at our ship. It’s a relief to see its graceful chrome curves nestled between the trees. When we get close, H’Aart turns off the security array we placed before we headed for the SuperMart, and I disengage the lock.

“You seem especially tense, V’Lor.”

“I am.”

The scanner reads our biosignals and the main hatch opens. We climb onboard the intergalactic transport unit we’ve brought here. We’ve got a shop back home and this is one of the prototypes we designed. Though built for speed, the vessel contains a mini-kitchen, a two-person sleeping pod, and bathroom facilities. H’Aart grabs my hand and pulls me towards the pod once the hatch closes.

“I can help you relax,” he says, his voice deepening.

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