“What?”
“With knowing they aren’t the father of one of your children.”
Chloe scoffed at me as if I’d insulted her. “Try telling Dorian that Dara isn’t his daughter, and you’ll find out for yourself.” She softened her scolding with a grin. “But I wouldn’t recommend it.”
The doors opened and it was an elevator—as suspected. We stepped on and took us up. Somewhere.
“Can I ask you something?” Chloe asked.
I glanced down at her, nodded. “Sure.”
“You don’t have to answer, but I’m curious. You’re not wearing your collar. Did you take it off? I want to warn you, Karter and Ronan are total cavemen, so they might be upset with you for taking it off. Prillon warriors tend to be a bit overbearing and possessive. In fact, I’m surprised they didn’t already sense that you’re not wearing it.”
I took a deep breath, let it out. “They didn’t give me one.”
Her mouth fell open and her eyes were wide. “What?”
The elevator door opened and when two huge blue guys in black uniforms just like Karter wore tried to step forward, Chloe held up her hand and stopped them in their tracks. “Take the next one.”
“What kind of alien was that?” I’d read every brochure in the processing center and not read one word about blue aliens that were seven feet tall.
The door slid shut and she turned to face me. “Xerima. Their planet is considered primitive, like Earth. But they’re very aggressive and hard to control. Good for fighting the Hive, bad for being holed up in a battleship. Those two are here as test cases.”
“Test cases? What does that mean?”
“They’re new. If they work out, Fleet Command will allow more of them to serve. If not, they go home and go back to—whatever it is they do there. But don’t change the subject.”
Okay then…
“What do you mean they didn’t give you a collar? That’s what Prillon mates do. They give a collar to their female so no one will try to make a move on their mate, and so you’re all… connected.”
I shrugged when she gaped. I had no explanation or theory, none that I wanted to speak out loud.
“How do they know what you want in bed?”
Good god, did this woman have no boundaries? “Kaed says it’s not safe for him to have a mate. That he works too much and it’s too dangerous for us to be connected like that.”
“He’
s giving you up?” Her voice went up in stunned surprise.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Do Prillons have one-night stands?”
“One night—” She blinked at me. “You think they fucked you and forgot about you? No way.”
Her hand swiped through the air and she completely missed my wince at her words… fucked you and forgot about you. Yes. That seemed pretty standard from where I was sitting. First on Earth, now here.
When the elevator door opened again, she sighed, tugged my arm and pulled me off, letting people in green uniforms on. The walls here were the same green, and if I remembered what Chloe said, we were in the medical area. “No, Erica. No way. I’ve known Karter for years. There is no way he’d pull something that stupid.”
“I don’t know what is going on with him, but still… I came all this way for a mate. Two, it seems, and now Kaed won’t give me his collar. Even Ronan is mad at him.”
“I don’t get it.” She sounded stunned. “Did they even… I mean, did you guys… you know? I assumed, earlier. I mean, you were naked. So I just assumed.”
“Yes,” I replied, leaning down so those walking by didn’t hear. “That was crazy. But it wasn’t what I wanted, either. It wasn’t like what I saw when Warden Egara tested me. I was hoping for too much, I guess. There’s a difference between a dream and real life.”
“God, I loved that testing chair. I hear you.” We shared a glance of feminine understanding before she looked away, steering me around a very large Atlan warrior who seemed in a big hurry to get somewhere.
She pursed her lips together, studied me. “Let’s finish our tour.” She looked around. “God, where the hell are we?”