His words sent a tiny chill down Arin’s spine, countering the heat she felt pooling between her legs. She’d been trying to fight that sensation ever since he’d appeared beside her. A super-evolved, biologically enhanced killer was lecturing her about her race’s evolutionary failings, and all she could do was secretly admire his exotic, chiseled looks. She forced herself to think rationally. “You’re a handful of soldiers against an entire planet. Do you really think you could subjugate the entire human race?”
“Subjugate?” Rykal inclined his head, a quizzical lookcrossing his face. “We haven’t been ordered to subjugate anyone. All we want to do is eliminate the Xargek before they take over your entire planet and turn it into a giant breeding nest. We like Earth better when humans are running it, but if we’re attacked, whether it be by Xargek or humans, we’ll fight to the death each and every time.”
Rykal’s alien logic was doing her head in. Arin tried to see it from his perspective. The Kordolians didn’t really care whether humans lived or died. All they wanted to do was kill the Xargek. There were nine of them and over eight billion humans, yet they thought they could hold Earth to ransom.
Because they possessed something humans desperately needed.
They alone held the ability to eliminate Earth’s latest scourge and humanity’s direst threat, the Xargek.
They had no escape vessels and no galactic fleet to back them up, yet they thought they could waltz their super-evolved, Callidum-wielding asses into Earth and do whatever they liked.
Talk about having giant-sized aliencojones.
“So your boss will return at some point, and I assume he won’t be turning up without backup. If you succeed in eliminating all the Xargek, what then? Are you just going to leave us in peace?” Somehow, Arin got the feeling Earth wouldn’t ever be the same again.
“Doubtful,” Rykal said nonchalantly. “Your planet’s too much of a catch to leave alone. I’m surprised no advanced civilization has claimed it yet.”
“Huh,” Arin blurted, suddenly becoming aware of the ridiculousness of this conversation. It was unnerving to know that in the grand scheme of the Universe, humans weren’t considered anadvanced civilization.
Arin’s unease must have shown, because Rykal placed a hand on her shoulder. Even though his hands were covered byhis strange armor, which extended to form seamless black gloves, his touch sent an electric thrill through her.
The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose, and Arin shuddered.
He was the enemy. Why did he make her feel like this?
“No matter what happens,” Rykal said softly, moving his hand so that his fingers grazed the bare skin of her neck, “I would not allow anything to happen to you, Sergeant Arin.”
CHAPTER NINE
She stepped away from him, turning to retrieve her pack and that ridiculous, cumbersome weapon she’d been lugging around. For the shortest, sweetest moment, he’d connected with her, vowing he would keep her safe.
Unable to resist, he’d reached out to brush his gloved fingers against the smooth skin of her neck, and he’d been pleased when her body reacted.
She’d tried not to show it.
She was trying to be professional, but he knew. She couldn’t hide it from him.
He’d seen the ripple of pleasure that had coursed through her, raising fine bumps on the luscious skin of her neck. Sweet, soft, human skin. He wanted to put his lips there. He wanted to break her skin with his fangs and leave his mark. For one brief, glorious moment, their eyes had met, and for the first time, he’d seen a crack in the ice.
Then she’d turned away, all business and efficiency as usual. Rykal stood in the center of a cavernous hall housing thousands of humans and watched as the female who’d captured his attention bent to retrieve her belongings.
He’d become slightly obsessed with watching her. He’dwatched her from his vantage point in the ceiling as she’d decked that big, stupid human male. Seeing her fight had brought his raging erection back. She was magnificent.
He stole another look now as she turned away from him. Her fitted black suit stretched around the curves of her hips and her toned ass as she moved, and Rykal exercised all his self-control to hide his lust. His arousal was a wild, fierce thing. Its intensity was akin to the fierce killing intent that had consumed him back there when that silly old human had pointed a missile at him, risking Arin’s safety in the process.
It had come upon him like an atmospheric storm, swift and sudden and unexpected.
Lust and violence. He realized now that the two were connected. They came from the same deep, savage place.
It had taken Rykal so long to learn self-control, much longer than the others. He’d taken more beatings from the general than anyone else.
Now, his hard-won self-control was threatening to unravel. He wagered it would only be a matter of time before he got the dreaded Mating Fever.
“I’m going to put in a call to the Federation,” Arin informed him, “but I need to go somewhere private, where I can access a secure line. Not here. Follow me.” She slung her pack over one shoulder. The long missile-thing rested on her other shoulder. Both items appeared heavy and bulky.
“May I assist?” Rykal hovered by her side, gesturing towards the launcher-thing. It didn’t seem right that she was carrying all those heavy things when he had his hands free.
Unexpectedly, Arin snorted in amusement. “You want me to hand over an EI rocket launcher to your scary-looking ass in full view of everyone? That would not be a good look, soldier, but thanks for the offer.”
