There was a pause, the kind that settled after the giggles faded, although Aelanna didn’t feel much like laughing.
And a knock on the door.
Chapter 11
Lift Off
Darren’s personal comm pinged, the alert flashing the ID of one of the females. He didn’t hesitate. The females’ safety came before everything else. He signaled to his brothers and headed for her cabin.
“You can meet them. They’re all pretty,” he told them as they walked. “But hands off my mate.”
“As if I care,” huffed Lero.
“Which one is your mate?” asked Blayze who trailed after them.
“The redhead. She’s mine.”
“In your dreams, bro.” Lero again, with a heavy dose of cynicism. “The females are for the Ohirins.”
And they needed to know the ship’s procedures before lift-off. Better to handle this now than deal with panic later.
Lero grumbled under his breath, clearly irritated at having his routine on Ohiri interrupted. Blayze, the youngest, bounced along with his usual optimism, taking everything in his stride. Darren ignored Lero’s mood. They had a duty, and he would see it done.
He knocked on the first door. No answer. The second slid open, revealing the yellow-haired female — Nayli, if he remembered correctly, the one who’d messaged him. All three women were inside.
“You called me,” he said, standing in the doorway. “How can we be of assistance?”
Her gaze flicked to Lero, then Blayze, then back to him. “Come in,” she said and stepped back.
They entered, scanning automatically for threats. The black-haired one lounged on the bed, arms folded, watching them with sharp interest. The red-haired one — Aelanna — sat on the sofa hugging a pillow, looking dazed. He hoped she wasn’t having second thoughts. Not now. Not when Joel and the bridge crew were preparing for lift-off.
“How do you turn the water for the shower on?” the yellow-haired one asked.
That was it?Relief loosened his shoulders. For a moment, he’d feared something serious — like they had changed their minds and wanted to get off the ship.
“You step into the cubicle,” he explained evenly. “It activates automatically. Step out, and it turns off.”
She smiled, then flicked a glance at Blayze. “Of course it does. And I bet you don’t have towels either — just hot air that blows us dry.” She aimed the comment at Blayze, who flushed high on his cheekbones. With his bluish tint, she probably didn’t notice.
Darren inclined his head. “Correct. Would you like to meet my brothers?”
All three women perked up, but his female hadn’t released her tension, he noticed. He gestured at each in turn. “This is Lero, and this is Blayze.”
His brothers bowed. Darren added, belatedly, “I’m Darren.”
Son of a lizard! He’d nearly forgotten his own name.
“Presumably you have names?” Lero asked, tone clipped and superior.
The black-haired one shot off the bed and marched right up to him, chin lifted. Not intimidated in the slightest.
“We do,” she snapped. “I’m Kora. That one is Aelanna, and that is Taylor — but call her Nayli.” She pointed first at the red-haired beauty, then at the yellow-haired one by the door. “Our family names won’t help you right now.”
Aelanna.His mate. The sound, like a gurgling brook,melted his insides.
Suddenly unnerved, he cleared his throat. “We’re about to take off. The water won’t work until we reach cruising speed.”
A warning tone pulsed through the cabin.
