Chapter 22
Ontarii tried futilely to get a grip on his emotions. He’d never been prone to mood swings, his skin generally remaining an even light green, which indicated his calm. Since the black mating frenzy had taken hold of him, he’d been riding wave after wave of emotion.
Ontarii stomped down the hallway, seething at his circumstances. He had allowed himself to be distracted by the lovely human female, and it had cost him. Not only had the Hareema agents been able to take out the two subordinates he’d brought with him, but he’d been trapped in an airlock and tricked by an imitation of the captain.
Now, perhaps worse by far was the mating frenzy. He’d been unable to resist the urge to fuck the exotic human, and now he was paying for it. In fact, he might have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
His life.
Zantharian men were forever bound to the woman they claimed as a mate. Because Zantharian females had only one egg with which to breed, they mated only once. A release of his seed into his chosen mate was the sole means to relieve the frenzy and save his life.
But to release his seed into a human? The thought was almost laughable.
Ontarii knew that the Supreme Regent of Zanthar had chosen a human female for his mate. The news had been carefully protected during the current state of emergency on Zanthar as a result of the Hareema threat. Still, rumors ran rife through the government, and the populous had been muttering about how much time the regent was spending with the human female.
Only a few selected officials high up in the government truly knew the full extent of the regent’s actions. He’d claimed Dr. Cohen as his mate, and he’d survived the frenzy by releasing his seed into the human. Because they were from different species, the likelihood of their conceiving was astronomically small. The regent had wasted his one chance to breed on a female he’d never be able to impregnate.
When word got out that he’d made the female his mate, the shit would hit the fan, as the human expression went.
Ontarii wouldn’t make that choice for himself. He’d always been married to his position, his duty outweighing everything else in his life. Still, somewhere in the back of his mind he’d thought that someday he might take a mate and breed a child with her. The thought of giving up that opportunity made him gnash his teeth.
Even if he never took a Zantharian female as a mate, he wouldn’t want to take a human. The infamy he’d experience might be enough to get him drummed out of the service. If not that, he’d always be a joke, laughed at behind his back. It would subtly erode his command, which was the death knell for authority figures.
“Hey, could you slow down a little? My legs aren’t as long as yours.”
His shoulders hunched as the female’s voice rose from behind him. He slowed his pace, letting out a sigh. For one second he allowed himself to consider the possibility of mating the female. He’d have to be willing to accept the ridicule of his people, but would she want to take on that burden as well?
Besides, Jennifer Brooklyn was a starship captain. Like soldiers, they were devoted solely to their jobs. Even if he wanted to claim her, he didn’t think she’d accept his claim. Instead, she’d board her ship again and fly back off into space, perhaps never to be seen again. That kind of abandonment could not be borne.
Because Zantharian biology had evolved such rigid structures to ensure the race remain strong, his people mated for life. Although the dark skin and intense mood swings subsided after the claiming, the same pull that a male felt during the mating frenzy – like he would not survive if his mate was not by his side at all times – lasted a lifetime once the frenzy had subsided.
Could a relationship with the human captain stand the test of time? He had his doubts.
Still, if he were being honest with himself, he’d have to admit that a tiny corner of his heart felt differently. It bombarded his brain with images of them snuggled together, telling each other their secrets while exploring every inch of one another’s bodies. He thought about showing her his world, taking her to all the places he’d enjoyed in his life.
Then a stray thought stopped him in his tracks. The image of a child, its skin a green so light it was almost white, dark tendrils covering its small head and golden eyes, froze him in place.
“Oof! Warn someone next time!” The pretty woman behind him ran into his back.
He couldn’t admit that the thought of having a child with her had paralyzed him, so he played it off. “Shh…I heard something.”
Yeah. The sound of my heart breaking.
“I didn’t hear anything,” she whispered roughly.
Ontarii made a display of scanning the corridor before he proceeded to enter the mess. As the chamber widened, Jennifer stepped up beside him.
She looked up at him, and her golden eyes hit him with the force of a blow.
Why does she have to be so damn beautiful? If I thought I could claim her and keep her, I might risk it.
“Are you seeing anyone? Back on Earth, I mean.” He realized how foolish the question sounded when he caught sight of her flabbergasted expression.
“Is that really something we should be talking about right now?” Her tone of voice said it wasn’t.
“You’re right. Sorry.”Stupid!
Her expression softened. “But no, I’m not.”
