She shrugged. “It’s a planet by planet rule. Most of the Coalition worlds want their women safe at home. But Earth girls are tougher than we look.”
That made me smile. “Yes, we are.”
“Besides, all these alien hotties are huge, but they’re really just big teddy bears.”
Zenos, who was twice the size of the largest human I’d ever met grumbled, and his skin actually turned hot pink. “I am not a bear. I tell you this, mate, repeatedly.”
Her hand moved to rest on his thigh with a familiarity I envied. “And I’ve told you, repeatedly, that I can take care of myself.” She gestured to the patrons lurking in dark spaces around the canteen. “Not one of these guys could take me.”
He leaned in close. “Not one will get close enough to try.”
She smiled at him, and I swear he melted. He had to be one of the Forsians Isaak had told me about. He was massive. And he melted. Doe eyes full of adoration for Ivy. Love. Clear as day.
Turning to me, she shrugged. “See? Teddy bears. Big ones.” That fast, she was my new best friend. God, I had no idea how much seeing a familiar face—and human qualified as familiar out here—would affect me.
I really liked Ivy and her teddy bear mate, but this wasn’t a local pub on a Friday night. And we weren’t on a double date. While Isaak was the most intense and impressive lover I’d ever had—not that the list was long—he wasn’t the dating type. Hell, all we’d done since we’d met besides the bout of sweaty, bossy sex had been to stay alive.
Didn’t seem that Isaak was a date kind of guy. I never fell for romance and flowers myself.
Isaak spoke, finally. “You are much taller than Zara. Do females not have a standard size on Earth?”
I choked on my nutrient drink. Seriously? The first thing out of his mouth is comparing me—me, an average height, average everything—to a tall, willowy Nordic goddess?
Ivy raised her eyebrows. “I ate my veggies.” She had to be close to six feet tall, and the guy she was with nearly two feet more. She leaned forward and rested her forearms on the table. “So, Zara from Boston, in his comm call, Isaak said you were an Interstellar Bride. He forgot to mention that you are his.” Her pale eyes shifted to Isaak then back to me.
“I’m not Isaak’s mate. My matched mate was murdered as soon as I transported to Trion.”
Silence stretched, and I wondered if Ivy was in shock.
A group of rowdy males in Coalition uniform came into the place, went to the bar and ordered drinks. Isaak cleared his throat.
“I helped her escape Jirghogis on Omega Dome. He was supposed to hand her over to Cerberus. Ulza herself was there to take Zara back to Rogue 5.” Isaak rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Ivy, you know I don’t qualify to be tested. And no bride would want my ship as her home.”
“Gwen likes a spaceship for a home just fine,” Ivy replied. She looked to me to elaborate. “Gwen’s human like you and me. She got matched to The Colony, and now she and her mate, Mak, roam the galaxy. Fighting evil and all that shit.”
“Space pirates?” I asked, and Ivy laughed.
“More badass.”
Isaak frowned. “What is this space pirate reference you keep saying?”
“On Earth, living in space is just a fantasy, even though we know of the Hive and the Coalition,” Ivy explained to the guys. “It’s not… real. Space pirates roam the galaxy to steal from the rich to give to the poor. They’re infamous. Ruthless. Cunning. They kill bad guys and upset kingdoms. And do it all from a spaceship.”
Isaak’s hand settled on my thigh beneath the table. The heat from it warmed me in all kinds of places. “You think I am cunning and ruthless?”
I rolled my eyes when his chest puffed up with pride. “I’ll admit, you’ve got skills.”
He leaned in, and his breath fanned my ear. “At many things.”
My pussy clenched remembering some of these things.
Weird music came from somewhere. Laughter came from a table behind me. No one was paying us any attention. For once.
“You are in trouble if Cerberus hunts you,” Zenos said, bringing the conversation full circle. He crossed his arms over his massive chest. He wore the same black clothing as the bad guys at the Omega Dome, even down to the arm band, except his was a dark green instead of red. “Good thing we were close.”
I shrugged, not sure what they were doing around here. I doubted errands. “I’ve had some problems,” I said, simplifying the clusterfuck of my current situation.
Isaak laughed. “Problems? Trouble follows her. We even had a Spectra Five ship, tagged as from Cerberus, attack us more than fourteen hours out from Omega Dome.”