Page 51 of Dancing for the Minotaur

“Oh, of course.” She laughed nervously. “I never thought you would. I was just wondering, that’s all.”

“Of course. So can I come and collect you?”

“Absolutely. What should I pack to wear?” she asked, glad to change the subject from the awkwardness of where they were sleeping.

“The same kind of clothing you wear to the office is fine,” he told her. “I’ll come within the hour.”

“I’ll be ready!” Terra promised.

She hung up and went to find her mom.

“Of course I can watch the babies, for you, Terra,” her mother said, frowning. “But where did you say you were going again?”

“To the Monstrum Mother Ship,” Terra told her.

Her mother got a worried look on her face.

“Oh, honey—that’s so far away! Are you sure it’s safe?”

“Yes,” Terra said firmly. “I’ll be safe with Taurex—he’ll take care of me.”

She felt completely confident in that—the big Monstrum always made her feel safe and protected when she was with him. She had no fear or concern about traveling with him—even all the way to Mars where the Monstrum Mother Ship was orbiting.

“Well I want to meet him before you go,” her mother said stubbornly. “I’ve been hearing about him for weeks now—it’s about time I shook his hand and put a name to a face.”

Terra nibbled her lower lip. She’d been trying to keep her work and home life separate. After her scare with Viktor Orlov stalking her and her kids, she wanted to keep her loved ones close and hidden.

But Taurex was nothing like Orlov. She wasn’t worried about him meeting her mom or her kids. So she nodded.

“Fine—I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“Good—I’ve been wanting to meet this new man of yours,” her mother said.

“Mom! He’s not my man—he’s my boss,” Terra protested.

“Mmm-hmm.” Her mother looked skeptical. “If you say so.”

“I do,” Terra said firmly. Then she went to pack.

17

TAUREX

Taurex had faced hostile negotiations on half a dozen worlds, transported volatile cargo through unstable jump corridors and once spent three days trapped in a trading enclave where every inhabitant considered Monstrum flesh a delicacy, but as he guided his sleek golden shuttle down through the bright Florida morning toward Terra’s neighborhood, he found himself feeling strangely apprehensive.

It wasn’t the trip to the Monstrum Mother Ship that worried him. He had made the journey between Earth and the great ship orbiting Mars more times than he could count, and the shuttle he was driving was one of the safest vehicles manufactured in his home universe.

Nor was he worried about the meeting Commander Rarev had summoned him to attend. Rarev was a fair leader and Taurex had known him for years.

No, the source of his unease was the little human family he was about to meet. Terra’s family–his fated mate’s family.

Or the family of the female you believe is your mate, he corrected himself, though the distinction was becoming more difficult to maintain with every passing day.

He had tried not to think of Terra as his fated mate too often because he knew he couldn’t afford to become impatient. Humans did not seem to accept the concept of fated mating as readily as the Monstrum did, and Terra in particular had spent years bound to a male who had treated her badly and made her feel unworthy.

Taurex had already learned enough about her former mate, Jackson, to know that attempting to push Terra into another relationship before she was ready would be the worst possible thing he could do. So he had been careful. He had kept their interactions professional, had resisted the almost constant urge to touch her whenever they worked side by side and had deliberately ignored the way her scent changed whenever they stood too close together.

That last part had been considerably more difficult than he wanted to admit.