Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
He twitched a little but didn’t try to brush away her hand. Instead, he covered it with his own and looked into her eyes.
“You’re fiercely protective, aren’t you, Councilor Imani? Or should I call you my Defender?”
“Just call me Imani,” she whispered, feeling hot all over. “But yes, I am protective of my clients. If someone wants to hurt you, they’ll have to go through me first!”
He rumbled laughter but there was genuine appreciation as well as amusement in his face.
“Gods, you’re gorgeous when you’re fierce,” he murmured. “No wonder my feral side fell so hard for you. Any male would be lucky to have such a brave, beautiful female Claim him.”
Imani wasn’t sure what to say about that. She found she was looking into his pale, intense eyes and she couldn’t look away.
J’are reached up and cupped her cheek, just as he had the night before when he’d wanted to “scent” her. He was leaning towards her and, even though she knew she shouldn’t, Imani leaned towards him too.
Their lips met and she thought she could still taste the faint flavor of the cinnamon-like light pik from the night before. J’are growled low in his throat and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Oh God, she really, really shouldn’t be doing this. She—
A sharp rapping on the outer door of the suite made her jerk her head back, breaking the kiss.
“Who is it?” she called, feeling like she’d been saved at the last minute from doing something very foolish. Foolish but extremely pleasurable. She could still taste the big Nightwalker’s lips on hers.
“Room zervise,” buzzed an insectile voice from the other side of the door. “Complimentzz of the houze.”
Nineteen
“I guess I’d better get that,” Imani said. She started to get off the bed, but J’are was already there, in front of her.
“Let me get it.” His voice was a low, protective growl. “I don’t like the sound of whoever’s on the other side of that door.”
“I think it might be one of those giant pink praying mantises you have all over the place here,” Imani said anxiously. “Why—do you know something I don’t about them?”
“Praying mantises?” He threw a frown over his shoulder. “What are those?”
“Oh, it’s a kind of insect on my home world—on Earth,” Imani explained. “Except on my planet the mantises aren’t usually much bigger than your finger and they can’t talk. Here, they’re huge.” She shivered in disgust.
“I think you mean the morphids,” J’are said. “They’re an alien race from another star system, not far from Yonnie Six. But they’re really not that common.”
“They’re not?” Imani raised her eyebrows. “But I’ve seen so many of them since I came here yesterday! There was one at the front desk, checking me in and then several of them driving the transport cars when I was trying to get to the courthouse. Oh, and I think there was one last night!”
She put a hand to her mouth. So much had happened, she’d almost forgotten the attack on the bridge.
J’are frowned.
“What do you mean, one last night?”
“One came after me last night when we were leaving the courthouse—at least, I think it did. You were in your feral state and you fought it off. You ripped off one of its limbs but then you threw it away.”
“Fucking morphids,” J’are growled. “I never liked them. Mistress Bittlebum always used to have them working for her—cheaper than buying more bodyslaves. Though of course, after she ‘inherited’ Mother Hownow’s estate, she didn’t need to cut corners anymore.”
“Well—” Imani began.
The loud rapping on the door of the suite interrupted her.
“Room zervice!” the buzzing voice insisted impatiently. “For Mizz Williamszz.”
“Leave it,” J’are bellowed. “We’ll get it in a minute.”
“I cannot leave it until I am zertain that Mizz Imani Williamzz has rezieved it!” the voice insisted.
“Fine.” Imani frowned impatiently. Striding past the big Kindred, she flung open the door and saw another one of those hovering room service trays. This time it had a silver domed plate in the center.
“I didn’t order this,” she said…but realized she was talking to no one—there was nobody pushing the cart.
Looking up and down the long hallway, she thought she caught a glimpse of a shiny pink serrated leg disappearing around the corner.
“That’s weird,” she muttered. “Why would it just run away like that?”
“It what?” J’are pushed past her and looked out into the hall. Then he looked down at the silver-domed plate on the table and Imani saw his nostrils flare.
“J’are?” she asked—or started to ask because before she could quite get his name out, the big Nightwalker had shoved the hovering cart as hard as he could. It went careening madly down the long hallway, spinning as it went.
Before Imani could ask what he was doing, he grabbed her and dove to the ground.
Twenty
“What—?” was all Imani got out before there was a thundering explosion.