9. Ryoch
9
RYOCH
A ll night, whenever I wasn’t with a patient, I worried. Picturing the way Charlotte had been staring at me when I left, her gaze unfocused. Vacant.
I might have broken her.
When I wasn’t worrying, I was struggling to keep my cock under control. Fuck . I’d wanted to spread her legs in the parking lot. The instinct to claim her had strained my ability to keep my true self hidden.
My body felt tight in its shifted form, in a way I’d never experienced before. With my mate touching me, it’d been nearly impossible to hold back. One ta’lap had reached for her, the tendril-like extension of my changeable skin acting with a mind of its own. And I’d filled her mouth with sagar , needing to press my lithis deep. It was reckless. Dangerous.
I could get by with about four hours of sleep, so I worked until dawn, tempted to just stay at the hospital. But I needed some rest before coming back to meet Charlotte. My apartment was a quick drive away, and I hoped the change of scenery would help me get a hold of myself.
My dreams didn’t allow it.
Dreams of wrapping her in ta’laps and spearing her on my cock while I marked her with my bonding bite.
When I drove back to the hospital shortly before noon, I was tired and frustrated. Gravod had wanted an update, so I texted him before getting out of my car, letting him know Thylor had been handled. I should’ve reported in last night, but I’d been too distracted.
As soon as I walked into the hospital, Charlotte’s intoxicating scent greeted me, easy to follow over other, less pleasant odors. I found her in the cafeteria, sitting at a table by herself with a cup of coffee, making a call. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun, stray wisps falling around her lovely neck. She wore a light purple dress and matching lavender-framed glasses. My breath stalled as I took her in.
Those glasses. She had a beautiful face, but that accessory, so antiquated compared to the vision treatments we had on Vytaris, was vexing sexy.
Before I got close, she saw me coming and hung up her phone without speaking. I couldn’t read her expression, but her bright blue eyes trailed up my body as I crossed the room, and I thought I saw appreciation there. My clothing was simple—jeans, work boots, and a gray t-shirt. I made a mental note to wear this combination again if it pleased her.
But what if she wasn’t pleased? What if it wasn’t appreciation, but trepidation?
The cafeteria was relatively empty for lunchtime, even on a Saturday, and each step I took seemed to echo. The sound rattled me, adding to my nerves over what she might be thinking. I pulled out a chair next to her and sat down, already anxious to go somewhere more private.
“How’s your friend doing this morning?” I had an idea from checking up on Naomi overnight, but I didn’t want to let Charlotte know that.
“She’s weak, but feeling a little better. It sounds like they’re going to keep her here a few more days.”
I nodded. “She’ll get good care here.” But not the proper treatment. No hospital on this planet could give her that. I tried not to think about it.
Charlotte scanned my face, and I wondered what she saw. My eyes? My horns? Whatever she could sense, my appearance didn’t seem to bother her. It made me feel confident. I reached toward her, and she put her hand in mine without hesitation.
Both of us stared down at our intertwined fingers, and my nerves settled.
“We probably shouldn’t talk here,” she said quietly.
“No. I should have suggested we meet somewhere else, but I wasn’t thinking clearly last night. I’d like to take you for a drive.”
She shook her head, smiling. “Not sure about that. Sounds kind of ominous.”
That surprised a laugh out of me. Or was she serious? I raised a brow. “I’m safe, Charlotte. I hope I don’t scare you.”
“You don’t.” She frowned. “Maybe I should be scared, but I’m not.”
“Good.” I lowered my voice. “I want to take you to see my ship. It seems like the best place to talk.”
It took her a second. “Your…?” Her gaze darted around the cafeteria, and she swallowed. “Oh, right. Okay.” She nodded and blew out a long breath.
“Your car will be fine here.”
“Yeah, that’s not really my biggest concern.”
I didn’t want anything to concern her. But this wasn’t the place to discuss it. We stood together, and I led her out to my car, reluctantly letting go of her hand to open the passenger side when we got there.
Once we were both buckled in with the doors closed, I spoke freely.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” I started the engine and pulled out of the lot. “But first, what’s your last name?” I’d been reluctant to use our spying tools on my mate, so I didn’t know.
She laughed. “It’s Ford. Speaking of names, you can call me Char. Most people do.”
I hesitated. “Do you mind if I call you Charlotte? You introduced yourself that way, and I like it very much.” It was the name that already felt etched on my heart.
“I don’t mind.” Her tone was quiet, almost shy, and her scent grew sweeter. “What about you? Your last name?”
“Here, I go by Cody. On Vytaris we don’t use surnames.”
“Vytaris?”
By the time we reached the outskirts of town, I’d given her a brief summary of who we were and why we’d come to Earth. I could tell she was listening closely, but she didn’t say anything.
“You seem to be taking this fairly well.” I was starting to feel optimistic.
“I’m not, actually. This is all very surreal. Like a story in a novel.”
“You write novels, don’t you?”
She huffed. “Romances, yeah. My pen name is Jillian Dabny. I read sci-fi occasionally, but my books don’t have aliens.” She looked out the window and muttered, “Just grumpy, small-town, billionaire bikers.”
“Hmm.” I wasn’t sure what that meant.
We drove past the bar, and she sat up taller in the seat when she saw it.
“We’re almost there,” I said.
“So, were all the guys we saw at the bar Lydaxians?”
“No. Some of them were human wolf shifters.”
Charlotte went quiet again. I glanced at her before turning onto the dirt road that led to the hangar, and her eyes were wide.
“Wolf shifters?” she repeated.
“Yes. Oh, also bears.” I pulled up to the gate and waited while the system scanned us. “I assumed since you asked if I was a werewolf, you probably knew about the wolf shifters at least?”
“Right. Right.” Her voice held a note of sarcasm. “I also asked if you were a vampire. Any of them at the bar?”
“They don’t get out much.”
The gate slid open. We drove the rest of the way in silence, and I parked next to the building. Charlotte didn’t unbuckle her seatbelt right away. My initial optimism was starting to feel misplaced.
I reached for her, but she gave me a strange look, and I let my hand fall back to my side. “Hey, are you okay? Do you need a minute?”
Her lips curved in a slow smile. “I don’t think more time is going to help.” She lifted her chin and nodded toward the hangar door. “Let’s go.”