She seems even more delicate in her sleep.

So breakable, so perfect. I want to stay like this forever, with her smooth skin pressed against mine, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest against mine. Even in the near-dark of my small living quarters on the ship, her hair sparkles, a deep, vivid red that I long to reach out and touch.

I know if I touch her now, she will make me regret it.

Just as I know the exact moment she wakes, her body stiffening next to mine.

As for me, I’ve been hard since I woke up to find her sweet, intoxicating scent all around me, now mingled with mine.

I cannot remember a morning I’ve ever been so happy to be breathing.

“Hello, fair one,” I tell her softly, holding out hope she magically softened towards me in her sleep.

Instead, she jerks up, her gorgeous hair falling all around her sleep-slackened face as she scuttles away from me and towards the wall of the ship.

My chest aches.

I paste a smile on my face, the lights flickering to full power as they detect our movement and change in breathing.

“Come now, was I so bad a sleeping partner?” I smile harder to take the edge off the hurt in my question.

“I—” She rubs a hand over her face, blinking rapidly. “I forgot where I was.”

“You’re with me, mate,” I say, watching her carefully. “Today we go to the Hernus-12 Space Station to begin selling the lie of our mating. To dress you according to your new role, as my chosen queen and future of the Roth.”

Her pretty eyes narrow, and she rubs her hand over her forehead, then through her hair.

“You are stunning in the morning,” I say quietly, unable to help myself.

“Ha,” she says, frowning. “Very funny.”

I blink. “It was not a joke. You are the only thing I ever want to wake up to again.”

She tilts her head, a lock of her crimson hair falling across her face. My fingers twitch with the need to tuck it behind her ear, to relish the softness of it against my skin. For a vivid moment, I imagine how the tips of her hair would tickle my thighs, her mouth around my throbbing cock.

“Do I smell? Like you?” she asks. “Was it worth it?”

I am the worst kind of being, because I know exactly how I’m going to answer her question.

“I can’t tell, because you are too far away,” I lie. “Come to me so I may scent you more thoroughly.”

Cautiously, as though she distrusts me, she crawls closer.

She should distrust me.

“Closer,” I purr, desire lashing me. “I still can’t tell.” She stops just short of where I lie, one arm under my head, feigning casualness.

I am anything but casual where this female is concerned.

I hook my free arm around her neck, pulling her against my chest. Leigh lets out a frustrated yelp, and I drag my nose over her throat, her jaw, her hair.

My pulse pounds, my cock harder than ever. I want this female more than anything I’ve wanted in my entire miserable life.

Even now, I resist the impulse to—

Her hand cracks into my nose, and I blink in surprise. Brief pain follows, and I stare up at her, slightly shocked and even more gratified at the violence in her nature. My grin widens.

“You hit me,” I say lazily.

“No shit. Let me go,” she growls, her green eyes furious. “Let me go right now, or I twist these fuckers off, and you learn what it’s like to piss blood.” Her hand tightens around my balls.

I let out a harsh laugh. I release my grip on her throat, and she immediately jumps from the bed, her breathing harsh, her scent, though still delectable and tinged with mine, bitter.

She’s scared.

Guilt washes over me.

“I did not mean to frighten you,” I try. “I was merely playing—”

“If I wanted to play with you, you complete ass, I would tell you.” She’s angry. No, she’s furious.

And what a sight she is to behold.

“You will make a great queen,” I tell her. “You are as fierce as a Roth warrior, and as beautiful as the lava falls of Roth.”

“I will never be your queen,” she seethes, pulling on her hideous Federation uniform. “I’m only here until you get what you want, and then you’re taking me to Earth. That’s the deal. I pretend we’re mates, and the moment the Overlord is overthrown, I’m done.”

“As you say,” I lie easily.

She is wrong.

Leigh will be my queen. She simply doesn’t know it yet.

Her glare could ignite a volcano, and I grin at her, sitting up slowly. The sheet tumbles from my body, and for a moment, her gaze slips to my bare chest.

Ha!

So she is not completely immune to me. My smile grows, and my cock tents the sheet.

“Put some fucking clothes on so we can get this over with,” she snarls, stomping out of my room.

“Do your people often wear clothing while they fuck?” I ask after her, only because I know it will enrage her further and I cannot help prodding at my fiery little mate.

“I hate you!” she yells, and I laugh as the door hisses shut behind her. She is adorable when she is angry.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER EIGHT

OceanofPDF.com

LEIGH

I don’t know that we’re going to survive this little arrangement. Not because of the Roth Overlord, but because I think we might kill each other before we even get to that step.

I slam a tray down, slopping the oatmeal-like breakfast into the bowl and sprinkling some of the strange alien condiments into it. I don’t know what they are, but they’re out, so they must be meant for the breakfast.

“Good morning,” Nydo’s brother, Lyko, greets me. He makes his own breakfast, following in my footsteps.

I grunt at him. My hair is all over the place because I practically ran from Nydo’s room. I don’t even want to know what they think. I don’t want to know if I smell like Nydo and I have been fucking; the important thing is that his scent will help protect me on the space station, and as much as I loathe the jerk, at least I won’t be abducted again.

Hopefully.

Piper and Billie sit at the only table in the small mess hall on the ship, and I flop into a chair next to them as they stare at me.

“Are you okay?” Billie asks.

“You look…” Piper’s nose scrunches up. “You look like you need your hair combed.”

“Yeah, well, you two look nice and fresh as daisies,” I say, my voice higher than usual. At this rate, I’m going to need blood pressure meds. I shovel a spoonful of the glop in my mouth, chewing and swallowing automatically. “I guess your Roth brothers didn’t make you spoon with them to get their scent on you last night? Or you didn’t mind?”

I laugh, and it’s unnatural-sounding.

Piper and Billie share a glance, and my hand tightens on the spatula-like utensil in my hand, my knuckles white.

“You… didn’t… cuddle with them, did you?” It’s not a question, not really, because it’s clear from their expressions that this is news to them.

“Billie and I shared a room,” Piper says slowly. “We waited for you to come in too, but…”

“Good morning, all,” Nydo says, breezing through the door to the mess. He shoots me a sparkling look, and I imagine wringing his stupid grey neck with my bare hands. Or shoving the spatula into his eyeball.

Neither option makes me feel better.

“Why didn’t they have to sleep with your brothers?” I explode, half-standing.

“You slept with him?” Piper exhales noisily.

“Holy shit,” Billie adds. “Must have been shitty if she’s still so pissy.”

Nydo and I both glare at her.

“I slept with him. I didn’t sleep with him,” I manage. The spatula-thing is still in my hand, and I point it at Nydo, who only smiles at me, his handsome face unbearable.

“That clears it up,” Billie mutters.

“Why did you… sleep with him?” Piper asks, wearing her usual peaceful expression, somehow oblivious to the murderous urges running through my veins.