Rage broke through his anger, the power of it all-consuming. Time was running out. There was only one thing to do, something this asshole had probably intended from the beginning.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to the little professor, but her eyes had closed.
The energy charged up quickly and he aimed it at the Zantharian and released. The bolt flew into the man, causing his entire body to shake, his head hitting the hallway floor. With the asshole’s hold on Sylvie, she got a large dose of lightning as well.
She screamed, and something contracted painfully in the regent's chest.
Xivthar watched for the man's arm muscles to relax, then grabbed the Earthling from his grip. Without a pause he kicked the Zantharian in the face before he could stand.
The crowd around them had fallen silent. Without hesitation, Xivthar lifted the female into his arms and carried her down the hallway, away from the mob before it could regain its vigor.
She hadn’t opened her eyes yet and her breathing was labored at best.
"Dr. Cohen," he said, wincing at the anxiety that coated his voice. The need to protect her rolled over him in large waves. He was frantic to keep her safe and worry rose up inside of him that she might hate him for having shocked her again.
She didn't open her eyes, but her tiny voice said, "Sylvie."
"What?"
"Call me Sylvie," she said, a strange smile curving her lips.
She's out of it, he thought, then pulled her tighter to his chest. The sound of her voice left him calming fast. She was alive and still talking to him. A warmth flooded his being, something he'd never felt before. Something constricted in his gut, a curious sensation. It only made him want to hold her tighter.
"Are you hurt?" When she still didn't respond, he shook her gently.
She stirred, a grimace painting her beautiful face.
"I'm sorry," he said when she opened her eyes. "I had to get you out of there."
"So you shocked me again?"
Xivthar felt like a seahorse's ass. "It was the only thing I could think of."
Her gaze was full of fire. "Put me down."
"You could be injured," he said, knowing she wasn't but not wanting to put her down yet. She felt too good in his arms.
She fixed him with a disbelieving glare. "I'm not. So put. Me. Down."
He set her down, letting out a soft sigh. He enjoyed it better when she was dizzy and full of friendly smiles. The sensation in his gut wound even tighter as he moved back from her. He'd never felt anything like that before. It was like nervousness, but a thousand times worse. A deep anxiety coupled with something else... something that didn't want to let Sylvie out of his arms.
The regent took a deep breath, attempting to banish the feeling.
"In fact, I think I'm starting to like the shocks." She shrugged and reached up, attempting to settle down her blond curls. They had become severely disarranged after being yanked on by the Zantharian. Not to mention the bolt of electricity, which had caused her hair to stand on end. "You could say they areelectrifying."
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" He lifted a brow at her. Her tone of voice was out of the ordinary.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "I've been in a crash, on a dissection table, and mauled by shape-changing aliens. Not to mention everyone on your planet hates me. Oh, and the whole being nearly electrocuted. Twice. The only good thing that’s happened was… well… you."
"Not everyone hates you." He reached out and touched her cheek, the pretty pink coloring it due to her mentioning their sex perhaps. He licked his lips, unable to help himself. She was delicious and he would be lying if having more of her wasn’t on his mind, right behind the need to protect her.
She stopped, staring at him. "Are you blind? Did you fail to see the 'Earthlings are the Enemy' signs being waved around by the crowd?"
"I don't hate you."
Far from it. I want to work toward inter-species mating and keep you forever...
The pretty woman let out a long, frustrated breath, which caused the locks on her forehead to fly into the air and stay there. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her shoulders slumped as she trudged down the hallway again toward the Ministry of Science.
