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He had no idea how to comfort his female. The words he’d spoken in a moment of passion were still the truth. She was leaving with him at the end of this mission. Whether he had to steal her or if she left of her own volition, the outcome would be the same. This human female was his and she was returning with him to R’Etor to be his true mate.
She lifted her head. “Heriot.”
“Yes?”
She sighed and sat up, continuing to clasp his hand. “Let’s get back to talking about your mission. You need to get back to business, right, and take out your target?”
He straightened. Yes, yes, he did need to get back to business.
“I want T’Antor caught and punished as much as you do. So, let’s get back to that. Tell me everything. Please, I need to understand better what’s going on. Start at the beginning.”
He squeezed her hand, pleased to know his female was so inquisitive. “You are my truemate,” he began, starting with the most important fact.
“You’ve said that to me many times now, but what exactly does that mean?”
He blinked and nodded. This female was different than any he’d ever met. She wanted to know him better. His chest tightened. He cleared his throat. “On R’Etor it means we will be together for our mutual lifespans. I scented you before you stepped onto the transportation vehicle. Your pheromones instantly entered my body and lit my mating receptors. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’ve been told by other mated males that knowing when you’ve found your truemate is instantaneous. But it was still surprising. You are mine, and I am yours and we cannot now be separated. At the end of this mission you will leave Earth and return with me to R’Etor to live out your lifespan and bear our younglings.”
His mate frowned. She bent her head for a moment, processing what he’d said. Long, smooth, flush-colored hair created a shroud around her features. Finally, she looked back up at him. He swept vivid strands of her shiny hair over her ear, unable to keep his hands off of that tempting mix of sex appeal and wonderous color. He waited, giving her time to speak.
“So I’m different,” she responded. “I’m not just a female you desire, so your body is reacting, forcing you to want to mate me. I’m your truemate, sort of like…you, you think we’re married now?”
“If married means that you are my mate for life, then yes, we are married.”
She blinked and pursed her lips. “That’s not how we do this on Earth,” she said. “We get to know each other first, over many months, and then eventually a man asks a woman to marry him, to be his mate, and he puts a ring on her finger and then they get married.”
He snorted, trying not to laugh over ridiculous human customs. He had a mission to complete and a Bride to steal. “I do not have time to perform lengthy human mating rituals. You are mine. We are truemates.”
She blew out a breath. “So, you just expect me to drop everything in my life, leave my planet and all I’ve ever known and live with you on your alien world? Forever?” she asked.
He smiled, happy to see she was beginning to understand. “Yes.”
“I…but…oh, whatever, we’ll argue about that later. We’re wasting time here. Tell me more about T’Antor and what he’s done and why you’re looking for him.”
He quietly explained everything to her. The contract. His mission. How his brother was hunting T’Antor’s brother in New Mexico. How T’Antor had a scanner too and they were both trying to pinpoint the exact location of the Illibrium.
“So basically, we’re on this hilltop, playing a game of who can find the Illibrium first?” she remarked.
“Yes,” he answered, “and when I find the Illibrium I’m also going to eliminate my target.”
“You’re here to kill T’Antor and make sure he doesn’t get any of this crystal you say is super dangerous?”
“Yes. Kill him; destroy the crystal.”
“And meanwhile, you had no idea you’d meet me and discover I was your…mate?”
He smiled. “That was an added bonus.”
“And you’ve accidentally broken and lost your supply of the antidote that abates pigment transformation, so you’ll have to suffer through that while you’re chasing T’Antor.”
“Yes, you explained that well. That is exactly my predicament.”
Her lips twisted. “I’m kinda embarrassed at how T’Antor tricked me. I’d like to think my Spidey-senses are pretty good when it comes to sniffing out men who don’t have the best intentions, but I thought he was okay because he convinced me he was Ron’s friend.”
“Hannah, he’s a professional thief. A con artist. This is what he does and he’s very good at it. He tricks R’Etor citizens, making them think he’s innocent and trustworthy, right before he steals all of their currency and burns their domicile to the ground.”
She let go of his hand and stood up. “Okay,” she said with a crisp, tight voice, using her hands to brush off the front of her pants. “Let’s get going. We need to find T’Antor and this Illibrium.”
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