Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
“Good.” Dra’vik dropped her hands and rose abruptly. “Then I’ll meet you at the Docking Bay to start our mission shortly.”
“Just a moment, Commander Dra’vik.” Rarev raised one hand to stop the big Drake when he would have walked out the door. “I’m afraid we can’t take one of our own ships to Lix’dor Prime—they have very strict transport rules which forbid it.”
“What? Then how in the Seven Frozen Hells are we supposed to get there?” Dra’vik growled.
“There is a private transport which tourists use—it takes off from Proxima Centauri’s second moon—a short flight from here. I’ve booked two tickets for tonight’s flight, since there is no time to waste. You leave in two solar hours—that should be enough time for Dr. Washington to get the clothing she needs to wear to fit into the Lix’dorian culture. You may simply wear your uniform,” he added.
“Um, what clothes am I wearing?” Iyanna asked. It hadn’t occurred to her that she would need to wear a special outfit to complete this mission, though she supposed it made sense.
“Please don’t worry—we have someone coming from the other Kindred Mother Ship to assist you,” Commander Rarev said. “She’s the cultural specialist there and I believe her name is Kat,” he added, just as there was a knock at the door. “Oh—that might be her now.”
Iyanna frowned at the Monstrum commander.
“You already bought tickets and called for someone to get me outfitted for this mission? You must have been pretty sure I wouldn’t turn it down.”
Rarev smiled at her.
“I knew your indomitable spirit, Dr. Washington. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure you’d accept…more like ninety-nine point five.”
“Dr. Washington is certainly bold,” Dra’vik growled, looking down at her from his great height. “You chose right when you decided to bet on her being willing to face danger in the dark.”
Iyanna flashed him a look. So now he was acknowledging—at least to her—that he was the one she’d met on the Dark Side? Well, fine—it didn’t do either of them any good to pretend otherwise, she told herself. Though she couldn’t help feeling nervous when she thought of going on a mission with the big Monstrum. He still seemed angry at her—possibly because he’d seen what she had done last night in his dreams?
Well, he was just going to have to get over it, she decided. After all, she couldn’t help it if he was dreaming of her and now they had to work together in order to make this mission a success.
But when she saw the way he was glaring at her, Iyanna wasn’t so sure things were going to go smoothly with the big Drake as her partner. Then Commander Rarev opened the door to admit the specialist who had come to help her get ready, and Dra’vik stalked out of the office without a backwards glance.
Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting mission.
SEVENTEEN
How the fuck had this happened, Dra’vik asked himself? He’d been planning never to see her again and now, here she was, his partner on a diplomatic mission to a distant planet to save the Mother Ship! What in the Seven Frozen Hells was he supposed to do now?
Well, I’ll tell you one thing you’re not going to do, a little voice whispered inside his head. You’re not going to touch her again. She’s too small—too fragile. And she hasn’t shown any interest in being bonded to you. The only reason she let you suck her nipples was because the pleasure poisoning was too fucking much for her to bear. So don’t get any ideas, Dra’vik—she’s completely off limits.
Yes, she was. Dra’vik agreed with the little voice completely. The sexy little Elite might be his to protect during their mission to Lix’dor Prime, but that didn’t mean anything. The minute they finished the mission and got back to the Mother Ship, they would part ways and hopefully never see each other again. And in the meantime, he wasn’t going to lay a hand on her again.
At least she didn’t run screaming when she saw me in the light, he thought. He’d been sure that the sight of his scales and horns and burning yellow eyes would make her lose her courage. But though her eyes had widened and her breathing had begun to come faster, she hadn’t screamed or shrieked or jumped out of her chair and tried to run away from him. Dra’vik had been certain that would be her reaction but once again she had violated his expectations—in a good way.
Damn it, why did he have to keep feeling admiration for her when he wanted to feel nothing but scorn?
“She’s not for you!” he muttered, reminding himself of the truth. “No human female is. So just forget about her!”
But he found that was easier said than done. And even as he went off to his quarters to get ready to go, the sight of her lovely face and big, dark eyes loomed large in his mind’s eye and the taste of her sweet skin and the scent of her sex lingered as well, refusing to grant him the peace he so desired.