"Damn! I clean up pretty good, even if I say so myself," she murmured with a grin. "Let's see what that pissy-ass tomcat thinks of me now! Who needs him! I'll show him what he is missing and then some. He'll be crawling on his furry belly back to me before he knows what is happening," she added before blowing a mischievous kiss to her reflection.
She stepped out of the bathroom and quickly packed all of her things back into her suitcase before picking up her oversized purse and grabbing the handle of her suitcase. She walked over to the door and stepped out with a toss of her head at Lodar whose eyes widened in appreciation as he skimmed her lush figure.
"Gods, Riley," Lodar muttered under his breath. "You are going to cause Vox to have a stroke. You know you shouldn't pull his tail the way you do, don't you?"
Riley grinned, showing off the dimples in her cheeks which drew another groan from Lodar. "You like?" she asked as she twirled around on her heels and giggled as she heard additional groans from Cross who had come looking for Lodar.
"Riley, how about running away with me?" Cross asked with a lascivious smirk. "My world is just as beautiful as Sarafin, and dragons are known to be better lovers."
Riley's husky laugh drew more men down the corridor to see what was going on. She walked by Lodar, handing him the handle of her suitcase with a wink as she threaded her arm around Cross's thick forearm. She brushed her hair over her shoulder, revealing the pale peach shoulder that had been hidden by the mass of curls.
"Let's go, boys!" Riley called out as she pulled on Cross, directing him to the lift. "I have a planet to visit, a king to show what he is missing out on, and plans for escaping back to my world to make. Who wants to join me?"
Chuckles filled the corridor along with a loud purring of male appreciation for the sinful sway to Riley's hips as she walked in her impossible heels. Lodar looked at the back of the Valdier warrior who was grinning as he listened to some tale Riley was sharing with him. He shook his head and actually felt sorry for his friend and leader. He was going to have his hands full with his little alien mate. Riley on a mission was not only scary but a truly beautiful thing-as long as she didn't blow anything up.
Vox's fist clenched and unclenched as he fought the urge to kill the Valdier warrior who was casting him sympathetic looks as they stood next to the transporter platform. When Riley had shown up at the departure tube with at least twenty warriors following behind her, he had been furious. He wasn't furious by the sight of twenty of his best warriors glued to her every word. He wasn't even furious with the way she clung to Cross, though he figured that would come later. No, he was furious at the ease with which she looked through him as if he didn't even exist.
He calmed a little when he realized it was a ruse. He could smell her hurt and see the slight tremor in her hand when she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He knew the other males could smell her hurt as well and were being very protective of her. When she raised her eyebrow at him, as if daring him to say or do anything about her white-knuckled grip on Cross's arm, he had to force himself to take a deep breath. He needed to be very careful in how he handled her. She was just stubborn enough to do something crazy-like try to kidnap another warrior to take her home. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he remembered her standing in the corridor not too long ago. She had been so proud of herself when she thought she had Nahuel captured.
"My lord, we are ready," the warrior at the controls to the transporter platform called out.
Vox nodded and stepped up onto the platform. Cross lead Riley up onto the platform and gently peeled her fingers off his arm. He murmured something quietly to her before he stepped over to the other square marking the platform positions. Lodar handed the handle to Riley's suitcase to another warrior who would make sure it was transported down on one of the supply shuttles and delivered to the palace later.
"My suitcase," Riley said, taking a step forward with a worried bite to her lower lip as her eyes remained glued to the huge pink case. "It has all my worldly possessions in it."
Vox turned and looked into Riley's huge blue eyes and felt the familiar sense of falling into them. "It will be delivered safely to our rooms at the palace. I promise nothing will happen to it," he reassured her quietly.
"But … " Riley dragged her eyes away from Vox's dark, tawny eyes for a moment to glance at her suitcase before she looked back at him.
"I promise nothing will happen to it. We must go," he replied. "We are expected, and others need to depart as well."
"Will this thing put all my parts back in the right place?" Riley whispered under her breath, forgetting for a moment that a Sarafin warrior's hearing could easily pick up what she was saying.
Chuckles were covered as coughs as the warriors heard her fearful question. "Yes, my little warrior," Vox replied with an amused look in his eyes before they turned dark with desire as his eyes ran over her form again. "Everything will be exactly where it should be."
"Including-" Riley's throat worked up and down even as her hand went protectively to her stomach. "Including our baby?" she whispered.
Vox's eyes softened as he reached out and touched her cheek. "I would never allow anything to hurt either one of you, my mate. We will talk later about this ‘marriage' you feel you must have and the jewelry that you want," he promised huskily.
Riley's eyes brightened until they were shining like the blessed crystals that sometimes washed up on the shores from their oceans. Vox cursed that he had been so stubborn earlier for not trying to understand how important these items were to his mate. He would definitely notify Viper this afternoon about returning with a "marriage" for his mate. If something so small put such a wondrous look in her eyes, he would never deny her anything she requested.
Lodar clearing his throat reminding Vox he was standing in the middle of the transporter room with dozens of warriors looking at him with goofy grins on their faces. He felt a heated flush rise up into his cheeks before he turned and nodded tersely to the warrior to begin transport.
Two hours later, Riley realized she didn't know what to expect when they left the Shifter. So far, the only things she had experienced were the trader's ship, the mining asteroid, the old freighter, and the warships. She definitely didn't expect to see a lush world of such incredible beauty that she could only imagine that this must be what heaven looked like.
Tall, dark rose-colored peaks rose above thick forests. The tops of the massive trees were covered with shimmering mists of white. Dozens of small flying vehicles rose and sank among the tops of the temples. In the distance she could see great cliffs rising out of an ocean of royal blue. Waterfalls tumbled down the ragged cliff rocks, falling in sheets of white down the edges until it disappeared into the rocks at the water's edge.
Riley stood on the balcony of the palace gazing out over the alien world. She giggled as she watched a group of children, some in the shape of miniature tigers, leopards, and other cat forms, running across an open garden far below her. She gasped as a pair of strong arms circled her around the waist and pulled her back against a hard, muscled body.
"I love the feel of you in my arms," Vox said quietly, rubbing his chin against her hair. A deep purring began vibrating his chest. "I love everything about you."
Riley turned in his arms with a disbelieving giggle. "Including my temper and smart mouth?"
Vox grinned down at her with warm eyes. He brushed his lips against her softer, plumper ones. "Especially your smart mouth," he whispered huskily. "You will make my men think I am turning into a kitten. I stop thinking when I am around you," he groaned as he rubbed against her letting her feel how aroused he was.
A shuddered rippled through her before she studied his face carefully. "Did you mean it earlier?" Riley asked serious, hushed tone. "That you would talk about us getting married?"
"I would give you anything you asked for," he admitted before capturing her lips with his.
He meant what he said. He did lose all sense of thought when he was around her. Everything about her drove him crazy, from her scent, to the touch of her skin, to the sound of her voice when she was muttering under her breath or giving him hell. He wanted it all. Every fiery, passionate part of her.
He broke away with a frustrated growl when he heard the pounding on the outer door to their living quarters. The insistent sound could only mean his family-namely his father-had discovered his mating. A wave of protectiveness washed through him as he stared down at his mate's flushed face.