“But the ship — your ship — it’s Dheltan,” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“And you’re not—”
“No,” he said, voice strained. “We’re not Ohirin.”
She looked up at him, searching his face. “Then why are we here?”
“Because this is where we serve.”
“But—”
“Aelanna.” His voice was low and firm. “Not now.”
She swallowed hard.
The Ohirin warriors watched them with unblinking reptilian eyes.
In the relative calm of the military space port, the city blazed behind them — flashy, loud, alien.
And Darren stood between her and all of it, shoulders tense, expression unreadable.
Something was very wrong.
And she was starting to realise that whatever Darren wasn’t telling her…
Ohiri was at the heart of it.
Chapter 14
Debrief
Formal greetings over, the Ohirin lizard officer stepped back. Aelanna, Kora and Nayli and the others disappeared into an assigned transport under the care of Ohirin command. Darren felt the tension in his spine snap taut. He stood at the end of the ramp for several breaths, watching the female lizard officer lead the human brides, forcing his lungs to work, forcing his thoughts into order.
He had brought her here.
To Ohiri.
Tothem.
His vaguely uneasy feeling, which had been eating at his insides like a worm — forweeks— suddenly came into focus.It was life here on Ohiri, the macho culture, the superior attitude of males over females.As if might was right. As if females had nothing to contribute.
He had found his lifelong mate,Aelanna. He must make plans to leave the city with her, if necessary, to leave the planet, just as soon as his military service was up. Of course, he couldn’t abandon the humans, not, most of all his fated mate, but how could he save them from the Ohirins? From Drypso? He'd talk it over with his brothers. Perhaps together they could find a solution.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and set out across the concrete landing pad, turning sharply toward the military wing. His boots echoed against the unforgiving surface, each step a reminder of the weight in his chest. The Dheltan shiphad been quiet, dim, familiar. Ohiri was none of those things. The lights were too bright. The air too sharp. The sounds too loud.
And the Ohirins themselves — scaled, taloned, predatory — had watched the females with a curiosity they didn’t bother to hide.
He hated it. All of it.
But orders were orders, like it or not, Ohiri was his home now.
He slammed the door of the military wing building open and reached the command chamber in a few brisk strides. He keyed the door. It slid open with a hiss, revealing Commander Crukugs standing at the central console, watching the ship through a one-way window, his tail swaying lazily behind him. His scales were a deep bronze, catching the harsh lights like polished armor. He turned, and his slit-pupiled eyes flicked up as Darren entered.
“Dheltan,” Crukugs rasped. “Report.”
Darren stood at attention. “Mission complete, Commander. All ten females retrieved and delivered safely to Ohiri.”
