“We will increase fifteen percent.”
I briefly thought of Warden Egara and her claims regarding the implant’s language mastery. She was right. If I survived this, I’d have to send her a thank-you note.
Nineteen seconds until that thing had me? I ran faster than I’d ever moved in my life, thankful for once that I forced myself to work out five days a week, and ran straight into a giant chest. Stunned, I looked up, way up, saw silver flesh, and screamed.
Chapter Four
Prince Nial, Earth
The woman in my arms took one look at my face and screamed as if she had landed in the arms of the Hive hordes. She struggled, kicking and fighting my grip as relief flooded my body. I knew her face from the bride protocol files that Dr. Mordin had received prior to her transport. Prior to her failed transport. This was my mate, my bride. There was no doubt. Besides a visual confirmation, I knew she was mine. And she was terrified, but alive. And very, very beautiful.
The iron-rich scent of her blood reached me, causing rage to flood my body, battle rage like I’d never felt before. But then, I’d never before been protecting my mate. She was scared, and had been injured. I had no idea how badly. I would need to strip her of her clothing and inspect every inch of her body as soon as possible.
The thought of touching her, of exploring her curves, made my cock harden in response. I remembered the mating ceremony dream and knew instinctively what she needed, but now was not the time. Already pushed to a near frenzied state by the danger to her, I did not welcome my body’s automatic response to the sweet scent of her skin and the flowery fragrance of her shining golden hair. The long strands were not dark gold, as many of my people had, but a pale color, like liquid sunlight. My personal light in the darkness. I knew only she would be able to tame the monster my cyborg implants would tempt me to become.
Speaking of monsters, the creature that pursued her would not be breathing much longer. I could hear the Hive scouts inside my mind, chattering with each other in that strange language of beeps and noise that sounded like buzzing insects inside my skull.
I had not missed that sound, but I was grateful for it now. Their noise had led Ander and me straight to them, and to my mate.
I leaned down and caught her gaze with my own, her eyes like the pale blue skies of her home world. “Jessica Smith, do not be afraid. I will not allow anything to harm you.”
“How do you know my name? Are you one of them?” Her eyes wide, she stopped fighting and her gaze quickly took in the black t-shirt, pants, and leather jacket I had acquired to hide my small cache of Earth weapons. I would not need those weapons, not for the cyborg scout running toward us at full speed. I would rip him to pieces with my bare hands. In fact, I eagerly awaited his arrival.
She looked back over her shoulder, trembling, but not panicked, her small hands wrapped around my huge biceps, tugging on me in an attempt to force me to move. “It’s coming in… ten seconds. Nine. Shit. We have to go.”
I shook my head and gently moved her to stand behind me. “I do not run from the Hive. I will kill him for you.”
Perhaps, if I could impress her with my strength and battle skills, she would allow me to claim her without the bonding influence of a Prillon mate’s collar. Our bonding collars waited for us back on the commander’s battleship but they would do me no good here on Earth. Until we transported back, I had only the advantage of the bonding essence in my semen to convince Jessica to accept me, but to get that to work, I had to get close enough to spread my eager cock’s fluid on her flesh.
Booted footsteps pulled me from thoughts of fucking my mate and I bellowed my challenge to the Hive soldier when he rounded the corner closest to where I stood. He stopped short, staring.
I heard their chatter increase in speed and volume, but thought nothing of it as I moved forward, toward my enemy.
Behind me, my mate pressed her hands and forehead into her palms as she sank to her knees. She whimpered as if in great pain.
Their communication was hurting her somehow. I charged the cyborg, eager to rip him in half, but he turned and ran like a coward. I could not pursue him, not with my mate scared, weak, and vulnerable to attack. I knelt beside her and her fingers clutched my shirt, holding on as if I were truly her savior, her chosen mate.
Her touch, her need of me, settled deep within and I determined to earn her trust and affection. I wanted her to cling to me out of choice and desire, not fear of the Hive. I wanted her to touch me because I had become a craving in her blood, not simply a necessity to her survival. But I would accept this fragile bond between us, for now. At least she would allow me to care for her, to take her to safety and tend her wounds.
Frustrated at losing my prey, but determined to take care of my mate first, I permitted the scout’s escape, filing his features away in my memory for a later hunt. He would die; it was simply a matter of time.
I inspected the area to be sure no threats remained before lifting my mate up into my arms. She felt perfect cradled against my chest
, nothing but the thin, primitive Earthen clothing to keep the heat of her soft curves from penetrating my suddenly cool body. Lowering my face to her breasts, I breathed in the heated scent of her skin, her smell igniting a fire in my body I could barely contain. My cock hardened painfully and I growled in warning as she squirmed, kicking her legs. I pressed my lips to the curve of her breast through her soft shirt and she froze.
“What are you doing? Put me down!”
Reluctant to withdraw from the soft globes, I forced myself to lift my head. I ignored her protests and began walking to the rendezvous point Ander and I had agreed upon in a nearby park. We had positioned Warden Egara’s vehicle there. Upon our arrival at the transport center, the warden had helped us locate clothing and primitive communication devices the humans referred to as cell phones. Mine was in the pocket of my jacket, where it now buzzed.
I tapped the odd device in my ear that the warden had programmed for each of us and waited for the change in sound I knew meant that the communication device had been activated.
“Speak.”
Ander’s voice came through clearly. “Two Hive scouts were at the human male’s residence. I killed them both.”
“Good. I encountered one on foot, but could not pursue.”
“He will return here for the others. I will await his arrival and track him to his ship.” Ander’s deep voice carried clearly through the quiet air and my mate had stopped fidgeting to listen to our conversation.