“It means Earth would be under the Alliance’s protection, and as such, it would be illegal to enslave and or harm its citizens,” Charick said, his golden eyes soft. I felt the faint trail of his knuckles over my upper arm, as if to indicate it would be a good thing.
“Nansar and Ambassador Yaard want to rape the planet of its people and resources.” Malakal issued a growl at the end of his words. “If a human kills Duke Ako, what better way to turn the Alliance from wanting to protect Earth? Nansar has spent years planting rumors of the Duke’s cruelty toward humans to make an assassination believable. It is untrue. Duke Ako is a good, kind ruler. Nansar is the troubled one.”
“A troubled one who makes shit plans.” I huffed. “No way will I kill the Duke.”
Malakal regarded me with something that might have been sadness. “He will make you comply. Even now, word of your mating travels the pit. If Nansar learns of it….” His eyes flickered to Charick, growing even sadder. “He will not hesitate to hurt your mate to make you comply.”
Charick growled, squaring his shoulders. “I would never let Nansar use Willa like that.”
Foreboding skittled along my skin at his words. I believed Charick, and it worried me. A large hand covered my shoulder,and my body warmed from the comfort. Charick watched me curiously, and his touch held the faintest tremble like he expected me to move away. I didn’t.
“Thank you for the warning,” I said to Malakal, forcing a smile.
The guard nodded, his gaze dancing between Charick and me, lips pressed into a tight line.
“Is there something else?” I guessed.
A deep breath escaped Malakal in a rush. “Only rumors whispered in the shadows. Nothing yet of truth.”
“What is it?” Charick demanded, taking a step closer to Malakal.
The guard didn’t appear intimated by Charick, but by what he relayed next. He motioned us closer until the three of us were nearly touching.
Malakal cleared his throat softly, and when he spoke, it was barely a whisper. “It is said that when Nansar stopped on planet Ulit, he met with an agent of a Zarpazian named Vrases.“
Charick sucked in a harsh breath and stilled. As for Malakal, he seemed jittery, and his eyes darted about the landscape as though expecting discovery at any moment.
“Thank you, Malakal.” I tentatively touched the pale skin of Aljani’s forearm. He felt warm, though nowhere near as warm as Charick.
“Stay as close to the Duke as you can,” Charick insisted. “If you learn anything else….”
“Of course,” Malakal said with a curt nod of his head.
His pale eyes ran over Charick and me once again, this time with such longing and sadness it made my heart stutter. He hadn’t said it. He didn’t need to. The way his trembling fingers touched his horns was enough. Whatever passed between him and Lana, he thought of her as his mate. And lost her. The pain he felt was palpable.
Would Charick be like that if I never reciprocated his feelings? Why did the thought of him hurting bother me so much? We’d only shared one kiss. A hell of a kiss, but still.... I pushed my romantic ponderings aside and gave the Aljani one last grateful smile.
With a nod, Malakal disappeared into the shadows. I turned to glance at Charick, standing so strong and tall, golden eyes narrowed against the din and full lips pressed into a tight line.
I might not know him well, but I knew enough to recognize that what the guard said worried Charick.
A lot.
Chapter – 7 - Charick
Willa’s steps rushed beside me, keeping up with my strides as we rushed back to her quarters. Her incessant questioning had ceased, thankfully. Especially since we were in an area easily overheard. Her aggravation with my silence hadn’t waned, exasperated puffs of breath echoing her footsteps. Yet she did not pull her hand from mine.
I didn’t want to answer Willa. Saying it out loud might make it true. The guard’s words roiled my head and stomach, worry feeling like slime over my skin.
Kissing.
I’d rather think about kissing. It was nothing like I imagined from reading descriptions in my Earth studies. Not even watching my Chieftain and his mate share a kiss has prepared me for the softness of Willa’s lips against my own. Her taste, reminiscent of a sweet frozen tweet from my childhood, lingered on my tongue. I wanted nothing more than to step into the shadows, pull her into my arms, and kiss her until the sun rose. But Willa was in danger, much more than she even realized. As much as I desired my mate, her safety was paramount.
The row of stone cottages was silent, save for murmured words and the grumbling rattle of snores. Dim bulbs glowed yellow from overhanging lights, illuminating tiny windows along our path.
Adtovar lounged on Willa’s cot when we entered her room. Part of me wanted to growl at him to remove himself from my mate’s bed, but we had—as humans were apt to put it—bigger fish to fry.
“What happened?” His eyes swept over us, his mouth curving into a teasing smirk as he noticed our joined hands. “Did you speak with him, or did you get carried away with the pretend mating?”
