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A snarl came from the floor somewhere behind her.
The winged serpent had risen to his knees, red eyes trained on her man.
She lunged and clubbed him in the head.
And stay down!
Cheers erupted in the restaurant at the fall of the last criminal on site.
Emilia didn’t care for the clapping and whistling, though. She had eyes only for Dar.
He was perusing her from across the tent, his body tense, tail swishing wildly, claws still extended, and breath heavy.
He looked disheveled and dirty, but none of the substances smeared over his clothes looked like blood to her.Thank heavens, he isn’t injured.
When he marched her way across the ruined tables, broken dishes, and spilled food, eyes trained on her with single-minded determination, Emilia tensed. Was he mad at her for ignoring his instructions? Would he berate her for trying to help?
Dar crushed her body to his and slanted his lips over hers in a searing kiss.
All tension left her body, and she went weak at the knees in a heartbeat. If his arms weren’t around her, she would be a quivering mess on the floor right now.His kisses are as dangerous a weapon as his combat skills.
He pulled away after a nip at her bottom lip. “Don’t risk your life like that ever again, pumpkin,” he said while rubbing his cheek against hers.
“I know I should have trusted your skills. I just wanted to help.”
“You did. That’s what the kiss was for. Thank you for backing me up.”
He had done it this time – he had made her all mushy inside with a simple ‘thank you’. A strong, capable man had admitted he did need the help of a woman.Watch and learn, macho humans.
Only at this point did Emilia realize the cheering, clapping, and whistling kept going. The other clients had gathered around them like fans around their idol, smiles and grateful looks in every direction she turned. Only the three Cyclops she had encountered behind the bar were not among the crowd. They were sitting next to the body of a male whose throat had been cut, each woman crying her eye out.
Time to remember not everyone had escaped unscathed from the attack. Four creatures were going to leave the restaurant in body bags, not counting the criminals Dar had shot down.
“We should unlock the tent and let local law enforcement take it from here,” Dar told her over the cheers. “Can you search the stunned robbers for the neutralizer while I cuff and search the male you took down? It’s a small triangular device, you’ll know it when you see it.”
“The robbers are not dead?”
“Of course not. I shot to stun, not kill. That drained my pulser’s charge faster, but now the scum will get what they deserve. They’ll be in Consortium prison by the time they wake up.”
“Oh.”
Dar gave her a quick kiss before he went to work, and Emilia forced herself to get moving. Better to be useful for a bit longer before the shock of the violent event caught up with her. The locals seemed rather unfazed, but it was only for so long that she could pretend this had been just another day behind the bar.
She found the ‘neutralizer’ on the hairiest criminal of the bunch. By then, Dar had secured the knocked-out baddies and was giving an everything-is-under-control speech to the crowd.
He’s irresistible when in cop mode… I’m doomed.
Emilia gave the button on the metal triangle an experimental press. Nothing changed. The tent looked as tent-y as ever, easy to enter and exit.
A moment later, the robot came back on with a jerk. It lifted its upper body from the bar like a puppet on strings and immediately pasted a holographic smile on. “How could I be of service?”
Too late, buddy. There’s not a single bottle left to serve.
Another second, and heavily armed aliens barged in through the main entrance. One cleaver-wielding alien ran inside through the curtain behind the bar. The cavalry had arrived.
While they waited to be questioned, Emilia and Dar got a pre-packed meal and lifelong discount for the restaurant by the cleaver-wielding Chef Bulbua himself. They also received a personal thank you from the other clients and one courteous waiter.
“Is there anything I could offer you as a reward?” a merchant asked when his turn came. “Some luxurious clothes for the daring female? A foot scratcher no Luvian should travel without?”
