He was grinning as he spoke. “Elite Hunter Quinn of the planet Everis is hereby enlisted as lieutenant in the Coalition Fleet and shall serve in that capacity until further notice. His security level clearance is to be matched to that of Vice Admiral Niobe of the Coalition Academy on Zioria. He is assigned to her personal security detail until further notice and reports only to the vice admiral or myself.”
No lowly officer to order me about as I’d originally assumed.
“Understood, Prime Nial. The lieutenant will be contacted at once to set up clearance codes and access to Coalition assets. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“No, that will be all.”
“Yes, Prime. Have a good evening, sir.”
His comm went dead and less than a second later, my wrist comm pinged. I glanced down, shocked to see the access codes and links to my new position in the Coalition Fleet already in my comm system. I was a lieutenant now. I would go where my mate went. Protect her. Forever.
“You will owe me a favor, Elite Hunter Quinn. An off-the-record favor.”
I nodded. “Anything you need, just ask.”
Satisfied, he slapped his hands on his huge knees just as a loud bang sounded on the door. “Nial? What is going on in there?”
Ander. It had to be, and he sounded less than pleased. And then I heard the female voice, and the scent of a human female, so similar to Niobe’s, came to my attention. I’d been so focused on my discussion with Prime Nial that I’d been ignoring my surroundings, counting on the closed door to keep out the rest of the world.
“Nial? Are you all right? Who’s here? I want to meet him.” The female laughed, the sound bringing a soft smile to the Prime’s face as she continued. “Whoever he is, he’s a badass. He took down the entire perimeter guard on the north side of the house and both guards outside the kitchen.”
The door opened and there stood the ugliest Prillon warrior I’d ever seen, a huge scar marring more than half of his face and neck. His size, even for a Prillon, was impressive. He was larger than Prime Nial, and his mate’s hand rested on his arm with a tender familiarity I missed. I followed that feminine hand to see a gorgeous female stood next to him. She had long silken hair and a mischievous sparkle in her eyes I had become all too familiar with the last few days.
Earth, apparently, had a healthy supply of feisty, independent females.
I remained seated as she entered, sure the position would put both of her overly protective mates more at ease. As she approached, Nial leaned back in his chair, signaling his second that I was not a threat.
Not that their lovely mate gave the possibility a second thought as she came close and perched on the arm of Nial’s chair to look me over.
I grinned at her. I couldn’t help it. She reminded me of my mate, of Niobe, with her sass and obvious confidence. “Lady Deston, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, and you are handsome, too.”
Ander growled. Nial chuckled. “Jessica, taunt Ander any further with your appreciation for this Hunter—lieutenant now—and he may spank your ass later to remind you who you belong to.”
She smiled at her scarred mate where he hovered near me, keeping me within arm’s reach… just in case. Him, I understood. Lady Deston, however, was completely unrepentant as she focused her attention on me. “So, who are you and why are you here? Nothing this exciting has happened in ages.” She glanced at Ander, then back to me. “How many warriors did you take out?”
“Nine.”
“Nice.” She looked over her shoulder and down at her primary mate, the leader of the entire Coalition, the military commander in charge of the entire war effort. “You need to work on security around here, I guess.” She chuckled. “He took down Hart and Tarzan.”
“His name is Torzon.”
“Whatever. He totally needs to change it. He’s got Tarzan vibes all over the place.”
Who the fuck was Tarzan, and why was Lady Deston acting so strangely? As if she knew me well, as if I were part of her inner circle. Trusted.
“Mate.” The Prime’s warning fell on deaf ears and I assumed it was the loving glide of his hand up and down her back that encouraged her to ignore his rumbled warning. I also realized that her treatment of me would change drastically if her mates were not present to keep her safe. She treated me as a friend because she was safe to do so.
And Ander’s massive hulk standing so close reminded me of that fact every time I dared adjust in the chair.
Lady Deston looked to me. “Well? Who are you? Why are you here? I want details.”
“I am Lieutenant Quinn of the Coalition Fleet, personal attaché to Vice Admiral Niobe.”
“Oh, she’s a hard case. I like her. She reminds me of Warden Egara on Earth.”
“Who?” I had no idea who this Warden Egara might be, but if she was anything like my Niobe, she had to be an amazing, desirable female.