He disconnected and I told my cock to stand down. My mate was in my arms, and she was bleeding. I would instruct her in her new role later after I had taken care of her wounds, when I would balance her lessons with pleasure.
Ander had been a wise choice as my second. He was fearless and powerful and I knew that his commitment to Jessica meant he would be thorough indeed in taking care of her enemies. I trusted him to eliminate both the Hive bodies and their ship. We didn’t dare attempt to assume control of their vessel for the programming was too sophisticated for us to overcome and we would end up back in Hive hands.
Never again. I would die before I allowed another member of their race to touch me.
No, Ander would destroy their ship and I would take our mate to the humans’ bride processing center and to Warden Egara. If my father had not yet locked down the transport relay stations in space, as I expected, I could have my mate safely back onboard Commander Deston’s warship in a matter of hours.
I increased my speed to a light jog, not interested in having anyone about to see me—half man, half machine, at least to those on Earth—but the night was quiet. I passed like a shadow through a community of housing units that appeared in a long row. Cars, Earth’s vehicle of choice, lined the street. Tall trees shielded the Earth’s moon so only lights attached to the housing units’ front entryways brightened the night.
The air was warm, close to the temperature of the climate-controlled warship, but it was damp. The air held moisture, which seemed… odd. I did not intend to remain on Earth long enough to delve into this curiosity. What I wanted to delve into was—
Jessica cried out and I glanced down at her. My pace was jostling to her, causing her pain. I stopped, prepared to take her to the ground, strip her bare, and apply field dressings to her wounds if necessary. “I smell your blood, mate.”
She shook her head against my chest.
“You smell it?” she asked with surprise.
Couldn’t everyone sense their mate’s blood or was it just me, due to my Hive enhancements?
“It’s just a scratch. I’ve had worse. You can put me down now. Really, please. Thank you for your help, but you can go.” Her fingers trembled and I scowled, trying to imagine the circumstances under which a female had suffered wounds so severe that bleeding through her clothing—for her shoulder was now sticky and wet with drying blood—was considered such a small thing.
“Go? Where I go, you go, mate. I can tend you now. It is my duty to ensure you are well.”
She shook her head again. “No. It can wait. Just… just put me down. I need to get out of here before more of those… things come back.”
She clung to the strange black object that hung from her neck. I knew a scope or lens of some type when I saw it, but as I had not believed the device was a weapon, I’d ignored it until now. If it were a weapon, surely she would have used it on the Hive scout chasing her. My arms tightened around her curves. I would not release her. Ever. But I understood her fear and did my best to soothe and reassure her.
“Ander will destroy them all. You do not need to be afraid. They will not come for you again.”
“Them? What are they?”
I had tensed, expecting her to ask What are you? But she hadn’t. Somehow, she sensed I was not any danger to her. She sensed I was her mate, her perfect match, but I doubted if she would believe it, at least not yet.
“I will explain entirely, but not here, not now.”
She looked away, refusing to meet my gaze as her hands cradled the black box hanging from her neck. “I still need to go. Please, I do not need you involved in my problems. Trust me. Those things aren’t the only creeps around here who want me dead.”
My mate had many secrets and I was intrigued. “Creeps? They are like enemies?”
She nodded.
“If you have enemies, mate, you need but name them. I will eliminate them immediately.”
She shook her head and sighed. “You can’t just go around killing people.”
“Yes, I can.” The confidence in my voice had her eyes widening. “Humans are small and weak. Human bones are thin, and snap like twigs.” This female needed protection. She was frightened and small. Fragile. Beautiful, but weak. “It would be my great honor to destroy your creeps while Ander takes care of the others.”
She actually smiled at me then, as if I were jesting. “That’s not the point.”
“Name your enemies, female. I will destroy them.” Frustration replaced pride and I knew I scowled. Why would she deny me the right to protect her? Was I not worthy of this most basic gift?
She leaned back in my arms, her neck arching as she rested her head against my shoulder to look up at me. “Is this he-man thing for real? Who are you, exactly, and why do you keep calling me mate? Are you from Australia or something? Because you are a long way from home.” She pushed against my shoulder. “You need to put me down. I’m not a doll.”