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NEGAL
The phrase 'fish out of water' had never resonated with Negal as strongly as it did while sitting next to Margo. There was plenty of space on the rescue boat bench, but she'd shifted closer to him until their thighs were almost touching, and it was making him uncomfortable.
Perhaps she found his proximity reassuring?
After all, he'd rescued Margo and her friend Jasmine from a terrible fate, even if his role had been auxiliary. Kalugal had done the heavy lifting with his compulsion ability, commanding the cartel thugs to drop their weapons and go to their knees, but Negal had been the one who caught Margo when she fainted, so in her mind, he was her savior.
Regrettably, though, that seemed to be the only reason she sought his nearness. Margo wasn't trying to flirt with him. Of that, he was sure. He would have scented her desire if she had been interested in him in that way.
These were new and uncharted waters for him.
Since arriving on Earth, Negal had never encountered a situation where he was attracted to a female who wasn't attracted to him. His perfect, genetically engineered physique made sure of that. He'd also never had a problem speaking to women before. Flirting came naturally to him, but with Margo, it wasn't that simple.
Why was he so tongue-tied around her?
Perhaps losing control over his fangs and glowing eyes twice in her presence had eroded his confidence, or maybe it was because her initial awed response to his godly looks had diminished along with the influence of the drugs she'd been given against her will.
Or maybe it was the odd in-between situation he found himself in, needing to pretend to be human only until they got to the cruise ship and then waiting to drop the pretense until after Margo's friends broke the news to her about what was really going on.
For the past five years, Negal had been pretending to be human with women he was seducing, and he'd learned how to do that quite well. He could shoot the breeze with the best of them, talking about music, films, or even politics if the woman was so inclined. Other times, he would just let the lady talk, compliment her a few times, and, as soon as she was ready, lead her to the nearest bed or even a darkened corner.
Some females enjoyed a little thrill to enhance their pleasure, which Negal always found ironic, given who he was. For a human, it didn't get any more thrilling than an interlude with a god, and not just because he was an immortal alien with tremendous mind-manipulating powers. The pleasure he delivered couldn't be matched by a human lover.
It wasn't boasting. It was physiology.
Immortals probably provided a similar experience, but that was because they were descendants of the gods and had the fangs and venom that did the heavy lifting where the female's pleasure was concerned.
Margo would soon discover that the cruise ship she was boarding wasn't a Perfect Match company retreat and that the majority of its passengers were immortals. She would also learn that her two best friends were mated to gods and that he was a god as well.
How would she react to the news?
Would she freak out?
Would she run away from him once she discovered who he was, or would she want him because he was a god?
Negal dreaded both scenarios. He didn't want Margo to fear him because he wasn't human or reject him for the same reason, and he also didn't want her to be enamored with the idea that he was a god and pursue him for that reason. He wanted her to like him for who he was as a person and not because of his superior godly genes.
In either case, though, he wouldn't have to pretend to be human for much longer. In fact, he could tell her right now if he wanted, but she might not believe him or she might believe him and be frightened by it. It would be better if she found out about gods and immortals from her friends.
The bottom line was that he would have preferred for the lifeboat to go faster so he would have an excuse to remain silent because talking over the noise was difficult. Instead, the slow speed lent itself to pleasant conversation.
Thank the merciful Fates for Kalugal and his penchant for inspired storytelling because the Guardian piloting the small lifeboat didn't seem in a rush to get back to the ship. The immortal's motive was probably to make the journey more pleasant for the two human women he was transporting, but that meant prolonging Negal's torment.
As it was, Kalugal was keeping Jasmine and Margo entertained by telling them a modified version of how the cartel boss's mansion had been overtaken without a single shot fired or one drop of blood spilled. Naturally, Kalugal had taken the credit for it, which was his due, but he could have given some recognition to the Guardians and gods who had gotten him to where he'd needed to be to wield his compulsion ability.
"How did you become such a powerful hypnotist?" Jasmine asked. "Is there a special school for that?"
"It's a natural ability for me," Kalugal said. "I discovered at a young age that I could influence people, and I practiced the ability until I became very good at it."
That was an excellent answer because Kalugal hadn't lied. He hadn't told the whole truth either, but if either of the women confronted him after discovering that he was an immortal with special paranormal talents, they couldn't accuse him of lying.
"Is that what you’ve been doing on the Perfect Match ship?" Margo asked. "Entertaining the guests with hypnotic demonstrations?"
Kalugal laughed. "I'm just a guest on this cruise, and I don't perform for a crowd. I use my special skills in other ways."
Margo frowned. "Like what?"
