STORY EXCERPT

He packed a lot of muscle into his large frame, and she could understand why Xephon males were wary of his kind. His clothes looked ragged, and his body looked ragged, too, now that she looked closer. There were scratches and grazes all over him where his clothes were torn. As he moved slightly she realized he had wings. Her heart raced out of control. He is one of the god-children! It would mean he was a leader amongst his people, and the Xephons would know this. How smug they must be to have captured him. She felt a stab of anger that he should be unreasonably imprisoned here by the Alliance.

“I’m Doctor Lawrence,” she said, her voice wavering slightly as she attempted to rid herself of her strong emotions. These people were Xephon cousins, and he would pick out any moods or intents she presented, even unconsciously. His brows rose slightly.

“Can you fix my friend? His wrist has suffered two injuries today.” He spoke perfect Xephon, which she herself had learned and practiced for over four years. His voice was beautiful. It seemed to slide over her sensibilities like dark velvet. She wanted him to speak again, to make her feel that way again. Was it some alien trick?

Instead, she gave him an apology. “I’m not that kind of doctor.”

“No other healer will come. Will you take a look?” He dipped his head as if he wanted to appear less threatening, and she noticed the bones of his face had a slightly different alignment than any other humanoid she’d seen before. Fascinated, she blinked, unable to respond.

“You will look?” he asked again.

“I’m…” I’m what? I’m an archeologist? I’m a woman who wants to touch you? The absurdity of her ideas made her shiver. The alien frowned, and his brilliant eyes searched her face as if he wanted to read her mind. She froze, commanding her shocking thoughts to scatter. But I do, I do—I want to touch you.

“You can go ahead.” Ervyan’s voice drifted to her ears. “The floor is electrified, and if they give trouble it’ll be seen on the monitors.” He raised his hand weapon and pointed it at the winged male’s chest. “I’m not opening the door though. Get your friend to poke his hand through the bars.”

“That’s not fair,” Sharn said. “They’re not animals.”

The winged male’s lips tilted. “You noticed?”

Sharn ignored him, because her comment was way too close to the truth. In fact, the Tarourke male was the most enigmatic, animalistic male she’d ever seen in her life. Her hormones were howling in her veins from the effect he was having on her. Was he deliberately scattering pheromones in her direction? She swallowed hard, her tongue as dry as a baked sponge. He had to be mesmerizing her with some secret power. Captain Zamara had warned her about this, though she’d privately scoffed at the idea.

The alien stepped back a pace from the bars. “We won’t harm anyone. My people want peace, just as yours do. I’ve no weapons, and my body aches from the skimmer crash. All I really want is to go home.” He grimaced at the realization that wasn’t about to happen. “Now I’ll never see the baby.”

“Baby? You are about to have a baby?” Why was her voice so soft and breathless, as if she’d just run down the corridor?

His laugh was mocking, and the sound slid down her spine like a delicious shard of ice in a heat wave. And my gods, she was hot. Damn, whatever he was doing, he was killing her softly.

“Do I look pregnant to you? I meant I’m expecting a new baby within my family, today, as we speak.” He opened his palms in a gesture of peace. “In the meantime I’d like you to look at my friend’s wrist, and then perhaps I’ll look at your bag of treasure.”

Bag? How did he know? As if Ervyan was under his spell, too, he opened the door, and Sharn stepped inside. The Tarourke and his Xephon comrade could’ve snapped her like a twig. She’d never felt quite so much the tiny creature before.

“I’m Rem Salek,” he said in her ear. Dammit—he moved with the ease and swiftness of the Xephons. Her skin prickled with awareness. “This is Pax.” The Xephon captive looked hesitant to address her and merely gave a quick nod as he sat nursing his injury. She knelt before him as he sat on the cot and took his hand in hers, noting the swelling and redness.

“You should keep this elevated.” She turned his hand slightly using her knowledge of bones to come to the conclusion that nothing seemed out of order. “I’ll see some pain meds are sent here as soon as I leave.”

“Pain’s nothing to me.” Pax shrugged. Indeed, he looked quite tough. Sharn felt embarrassed for having suggested painkillers to such a large Xephon male. “I just want it to heal. Do you humans have a quick-heal drug? I hear you’ve invented virtually everything imaginable.”

Sharn laughed. “I think you’ve heard wrong.” She glanced up at the winged male as he watched her tend his friend. Something in his expression made her breath hitch in her throat. She’d never been so unnerved by another being in all her life, and she’d only been in here a few minutes. As she attempted to stand up he passed her his hand. She tentatively grasped it, realizing immediately it was a mistake. Bolts of heat zipped up her arm as his flesh enveloped hers. He was so mesmerizing she felt as if she vibrated like an iron filing twitching on a magnet. As she rose to her full height she wanted to keep falling forward, into him. And much worse—suddenly she possessed the grave understanding that this male had the power to enslave her sensibilities. How ridiculous. She’d only been in here ten minutes. Did he turn all females to piles of quivering goo so quickly? And why the fuck did she have to be one of them?