by Kate Rudolph
He set it down on the desk and smiled when Emily sat up.
“How long have I been out?” she asked. It had to have been longer than she thought. “You cleaned?” The place wasn’t spotless, but most of the random boxes she’d been dealing with were gone.
“A little,” he answered. He picked up a glass and handed it over to her. “Thirsty? And you’ve been asleep for a few hours.”
She took the glass gratefully and drank deeply. It wasn’t water, but it was sweet and a little fizzy and really delicious. “You didn’t have to hang out while I slept.” She felt a little guilty for that. Oz surely had a life of his own to get back to and things to do now that his mission was over.
“This is where I wanted to be,” he assured her. “And the boxes kept me busy. Why are there so many?”
“Crowze said this place has mostly been used for storage for years. I guess they just shoved anything they didn’t need into the available space. He said we could go through the boxes and as long as it didn’t look important we were free to use it or throw it out. Not that we know what important things are.” She took another sip of her fizzy drink. “Can you hand me those glasses?” She pointed to the thick-rimmed pair on the edge of the desk. Thank goodness Oz hadn’t gotten rid of them.
He handed them over. “I didn’t realize there was an issue with your vision. We can—” He cut himself off, as if reminding her that she lived on an alien planet with alien technology now might upset her.
Emily slipped the glasses on and braced for the momentary disorientation. “My vision is fine,” she assured him. “But these allow me to read all the writing on the boxes. My translator only works on things that are spoken. Crowze mentioned something about contacts, but those would need to be specially ordered.”
“I’m glad he could provide them.” There was something strange about Oz’s voice. Something... resentful?
“What’s the matter?” she asked. She was done with miscommunication and secrets. If Oz had something to say, she wanted him to say it. They’d never work otherwise.
Oz took a good look around the room and then hopped up to sit on the desk. “It looks like Crowze has been able to provide all you need.” She thought that was all he would say until he added, “I live in a one bedroom apartment in an old building in New Osais. That’s a district of the city, and not a fashionable one. My parents both work. There’s no money or history to my family, not like this. I can’t provide...”
“I’m going to stop you there.” Honesty was one thing, but she didn’t need Oz beating himself up over something he couldn’t control. “I’m not going to suddenly fall for Crowze because he let us use his house and got us the contact information for some relevant people who can help us.”
“He did that too?” Oz asked, but it was more mutter than question.
Emily pushed up from the couch and crossed the room. She set her glass down on the desk and cupped Oz’s cheeks, kissing him soundly. “You saved my life,” she reminded him, “many times over. And we’re so compatible that you made me grow wings.” She flashed them out to prove she was learning. “I didn’t only stay up through the night because I didn’t realize the sun didn’t set.”
“No?” he asked.
“I didn’t want to fall asleep if I wasn’t next to you,” she admitted.
Lightning flashed in Oz’s eyes, and then his arms were around her, erasing all the distance between them so he could crash his mouth against hers. It was a branding kiss, one that left no doubt that she belonged to him.
It sent a thrill through Emily to belong so wholly to someone, not because she could perform a flip or write a brief. He wanted her because she was her.
When the kiss ended she was breathless, but there was still more to go over.
“Who did he get you in touch with?” Oz asked.
It took Emily a moment to remember how to speak. “An immigration advocate. No matter what planet you end up on, apparently moving generates a lot of paperwork. And when the others found out I went to law school, I kind of got nominated to work with the advocate on everyone’s behalf.” She pointed at her glasses and added, “That’s why I need the writing translator. I’m going to be kind of busy while we get this sorted out.”
“Too busy for your... boyfriend?” He said it like he was sounding out the word.
And hearing it on Oz’s tongue did strange things to her. She hadn’t really thought of him like that. Which was weird, now that she thought about it. “Are you really my boyfriend if you haven’t taken me out on a date?”
“But I showed you all the sights Kilrym has to offer.” He grinned at her and kissed her again. “So you’ll be working out of this house. Do you need to stay here?”
“I could be persuaded to not share a house with a dozen people. If someone gave me the right offer.” She couldn’t help but smile at the thought. It was probably way, way too early to consider it, but she didn’t want to be parted from Oz. And if things went south, well, she could stay the night at the humans’ house. It wasn’t like she had no options.
Oz’s face grew serious. “I should have told you the truth about your situation as soon as I realized you didn’t know. You have my word that I won’t keep things like that from you again.”
Something inside her chest unclenched and Emily felt like she could breathe again. It had felt so good to see Oz again that she hadn’t realized she was still holding onto that anger. “Good. I don’t want to start fighting with you or anything. I want to live with you, and love you, and build a life together. How does that sound?”
“Love?” he asked. His gaze darkened and he pulled her even closer. If he tried to get any closer she’d be sitting in his lap. Though that didn’t sound like a bad thing.
“Love,” she confirmed.
“Let me take you home so I can properly show you how much I love you.” He scooped her up as he slid down to the floor, and Emily had to hold on to keep from falling.
The trip back to the city was a blur. She got an impression of tall buildings that didn’t look that different from what she’d seen on Kilrym, and vehicles that were much the same. It was a sober reminder that the Apsyns and Synnrs were both Zulir. The same, and yet so different.
When they got to Oz’s apartment, she could see it was clean, but then he was scooping her up and carrying her once more until he could place her gently on his bed.
And when he tore his shirt off, Emily didn’t care what the rest of his apartment looked like, not when she could look at him.
Life with her alien warrior was looking up. And Emily could definitely get used to it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
THEY HAD TO COME OUT of the bedroom eventually, but Oz was happy to leave his Match in a slumbering ball of contentment, her body sated and resting. He thought about giving his parents a call and telling them the good news, but he also thought it could be a fun surprise to show up on their doorstep with Emily in tow and watch the surprise bloom on their faces.
He’d make the decision later.
He switched the holoplayer on to a news station and kept it quiet as he prepared a meal. It was late afternoon, but he’d lost track of time. It always happened when he got back from missions, and it would take a few days to adjust.
He barely paid attention to the sound, and even less when he felt warm arms wrap around him from behind and soft lips move against his shoulder. “Come back to bed,” Emily enticed.
His cock twitched, ready to rise and have his way with her again. “We need food,” he reminded her. “Need to keep our energy up.”
She laughed and pulled away to let him do his work. “Are you watching a movie?” she asked.
Oz had to turn around to see she was looking at the holoplayer. And what he saw made his blood run cold. He recognized the military base that was smoldering. It was the same place they’d landed the day before. He turned the volume up and listened as a temperate voice reported the Apsyn attack.
“This is happening right no
w?” Emily asked. She placed a hand on his shoulder, offering comfort.
“It is.” What ifs flashed through his mind. What if the humans had been forced to stay the night at the base? What if Emily had been there when the attack happened? What if he’d lost her again?
He hugged her close and tried to keep his breathing under control while his mind raced. A moment later his communicator beeped and he knew what was coming.
As expected, the ID said it was Solan.
“I’m watching the news right now,” Oz said without waiting for a hello.
“The generals are in with the royal council,” Solan said. “They’re talking war declarations. We need both you and Emily to come in. We’re going to need all the forces we have.”
Oz wanted to wrap his Match up and keep her safe. She’d just made it to the planet, and was planning out a whole new life.
“Oz? Are you still there?” Solan asked.
“I’m here,” he said.
“We’re meeting tomorrow morning. Be there.”
Oz didn’t promise. He didn’t know what to say. But Solan disconnected the call and Oz was left holding a silent communicator.
“No hiding things from me,” Emily reminded him quietly, and he suspected she must have heard what was going on.
“Solan wants us to report in tomorrow. This Apsyn attack might mean war. And bonded Matches are needed for the fight.”
He expected her to protest. He didn’t expect her to smile. “They want a war? I’m ready to give them a little payback for what they did to me. Let them try to mess with us.”
She was full of surprises, his Match. And there was only one way to express his gratitude. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said sincerely. “And if we have to go to war tomorrow, let’s not waste another minute.” She kissed him hard before leading him back to the bedroom.
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Synnr’s Hope: Zulir Warrior Mates Book Two
These warriors are on the verge of war, and their only hope is in the hands of their human mates!
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Preview Soulless: Detyen Warriors Book One
A SHOCK OF something ripped through Raze in that moment when their eyes locked. He faltered and pain scored his chest as if claws raked him from shoulder to hip. In a blink it was gone as the pirate woman flung grit at him with astonishing accuracy and was off running like an Oscavian hound was on her heels. He stumbled for a moment, heart pounding so hard it threatened to beat out of his chest.
He clenched his fists and for one crazy second his claws threatened to slide out of his hands as something they couldn’t define washed over him.
Find her, that foreign urge demanded. Protect her. Claim her.
He could almost feel it, could almost recognize what it was, but his mind rejected the impossibility even before his feet moved and the chase was on. He didn’t pull out his blaster. Though the pirate had quickly recovered from the stun, far more quickly than he’d thought possible, two shots in such a short amount of time might do permanent harm to her. Why he cared about that, he wasn’t sure, but his gun remained in its holster all the same.
She glanced back and that was her undoing. He had height on her, and endurance. He could run for days and not give in to exhaustion or pain. No pirate training was a match for a Detyen warrior.
Though he wondered why she hadn’t cried out, hadn’t tried to raise an alarm. Surely she must have some allies in the nearby settlement. They were probably too far away to be heard, but didn’t creatures such as she rely on hope like that for survival? Or were her enemies too numerous that she doubted help would come?
He closed the distance between them in easy strides until he could almost reach her with a swipe of his arm. Just as he launched the final step, she dropped and rolled to the side, her hand coming up with a small knife he must have missed on her person.
“Fucking pirate scum,” she spat as she rolled to her feet, knife held confidently in her hand and absolute disgust written across her features.
Pirate scum? “You’re the pirate,” he replied without thought, keeping his distance. His claws should be out now, with her on her back at his mercy, her cheeks flushed and breath coming in hard as she panted under him. What that stirred froze him in place, his body rocking with sensation he hadn’t known in years, sensation he could barely remember.
The distraction cost him and she took advantage, swiping in with the knife in a move that showed practice and training to rival his own. His instincts took over and he rolled with her, taking her arm and flipping her as she cut a ragged wound across his shoulder. The hot flash of pain brought his focus back and they rolled together, neither able to take a position of advantage on the ground.
The woman—not a pirate?—sprang back up and jumped on the balls of her feet, those cheeks flushed like he’d imagined and her eyes glinting bright in the moonlight. “Of course a giant like you isn’t going to make it easy for me. What are you, anyway?” The run and the fight hadn’t winded her and as his subdermal translator worked, he realized she wasn’t speaking IC, interstellar common. His translator identified her language of origin as English, an Earth language. Strange.
Remaining silent would frustrate her, but Raze couldn’t stop himself from answering. “Detyen.” He should have kept it hidden in case she escaped and reported back, but he found himself wanting to talk to her, and he hadn’t wanted anything in so long that he couldn’t deny this one simple thing.
She blew at an errant strand of hair, ruby red in the moonlight, as her eyes narrowed. Her eyes flicked down to his hip, where his blaster remained holstered. The distance between them wasn’t long, both of them standing just out of reach of one another, but it might as well have been a deep chasm.
“Why aren’t you shooting me?”
“I don’t—” he couldn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t know how to finish the sentence. In the last ten minutes, he’d been more alive than he’d been in two years and his control was shot. If Toran or Kayde saw him, they’d order him put down in a second, and he’d deserve it. He wasn’t thinking clearly, wasn’t operating at acceptable capacity. He wanted to... he wanted and for a soulless Detyen, there could be nothing worse.
That narrowed gaze of hers relaxed a fraction and she took a step back, her knife still out, but the hold not quite as threatening as it had been only a moment ago.
They stared at one another, neither sure of what action to take. No, Raze knew what he should do, what he must do. Anything that would give him the information he needed about his men so that he could retrieve them and complete the mission, find the data they’d been assigned to retrieve and return home to his bleak existence, where nothing awaited him except years more of gray emptiness until he came to his natural end by his own hand or that of his fellow soldiers.
And that should bring up no reaction in him except acceptance. He’d chosen the path when he let his soul be ripped apart in the name of the survival of his people.
But in this endless moment between him and this strange woman, he wished that he’d taken a
nother path, one he’d never realized was there in the first place.
The woman broke him out of his daze. “You’re not a pirate, are you?”
Before he could answer, he caught a hint of movement and light out of the corner of his eye. He moved without thought, launching himself at the woman and tackling her to the ground, his hand clasping her wrist and keeping the knife away from anything important. For a moment, their hands met, skin to skin, and agony ripped through his body and he held it close with a silent scream.
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About Kate Rudolph
KATE RUDOLPH IS A DERBY girl who lives in Indiana. She loves writing about kick butt heroines and the steamy heroes who love them. She's been devouring romance novels since she was too young to be reading them and had to hide her books so no one would take them away. She couldn't imagine a better job in this world than writing romances and sharing them with her fellow readers.
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