Chapter 2 #2
When I shift my attention back to my mate, I find her scanning the room. I wait, wondering if she might recognize me for who I am.
Her gaze hesitates when she spots Skarg and Kafran, but only for a moment before she continues soaking in the rest of the club until finally spotting me. She freezes.
For several long seconds, we stare at each other. Her huge brown eyes widen, and her lips part. She’s not simply stunned to see an Eleadian for the first time because she could have lingered longer watching Skarg or Kafran. No, some part of her recognizes me for who I am.
I smile at her over the heads of all the other females in the club.
She takes a step back toward the entrance.
This is my cue to move away from my perch at the bar. I take long strides in her direction, grateful that the crowd parts. They’re probably as curious about my actions as my girl is.
Suddenly she turns around and bolts toward the door. She’s not fast enough, though. It’s also helpful that three females are coming in at the same moment, blocking her from exiting.
Before she can get past them, I reach her. My hands come to her shoulders, and I ease her back so that she’s flattened against my front.
Heavens, she feels so good in my arms. Right. The chaos around me dissolves as I focus every ounce of my attention on my Little girl. Her scent is intoxicating now that I’m closer.
“No…” she whimpers with no conviction. Her heart races. She’s breathing heavily. But her body leans into mine.
I have to bend to get my lips near her ear. “Yes, Little one. You feel it, too. It’s undeniable.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t. Oh, God. My father is going to kill me.”
I can’t resist kissing her neck, and I love the way her breath hitches.
“He won’t, Baby girl. He’ll never be near you again to do so.
” I try to convey all of that without sounding harsh.
The reality is I’m stating a fact. I don’t know what sort of relationship she has with her father, but she’ll never see him again.
I hurt for her. When human females find out they will never see their loved ones again, they mourn the loss. Some more than others.
We’re facing the closed door now. It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d gone through it.
I would have followed her at least through to the entry room.
I wouldn’t have been able to step outside, but our connection had already been established.
Even if she’d left the club and gone home, she wouldn’t have been able to shake me from her mind.
She would have eventually returned, drawn back like I’m the largest magnet in existence.
“You don’t understand,” she argues. “My roommate is outside. I only came into the club on a dare. It was a game. We— We— We were playing truth or dare. Allisa dared me. Mary is outside. I have her phone. I’m supposed to take a picture of one of you and, and, and…”
Her anxiety is rising as she rambles. I ease her away from the door when it opens again. I don’t want to scare her to death by dragging her out of this room. I need her to go willingly.
I also can’t nick her skin with my quill to calm her.
Not while we’re here in the club. No humans are allowed to know about our ability to affect our mates’ emotions by piercing their skin to inject them with our serum.
Not even the highest government officials on Earth who work with our Eleadian leaders to maintain this alliance are aware of that feature behind our front teeth.
I want to, though. I desperately want to calm my Little girl.
“Is everything okay?” a male voice asks.
I turn my head to find Zack, the manager of Club Zoom, standing to my right. He’s well aware of the fact that this female has been claimed. He knows how this works.
Nodding, I ask, “Do you have a room we can use for a minute?”
Zack nods. “Of course. Right this way.” He turns toward another door a few feet away that leads to his office.
When he opens it, I look down at my mate. “Zack is the club manager. Follow him, Little one.”
She gives a curt nod and obeys me. A part of her simply can’t help but follow my demands, but she most likely also finds comfort in the fact that Zack is human and runs this place. She’s probably still trying to figure out how to wiggle her way out of this unexpected change of events.
My entire body relaxes as soon as Zack closes the door, cutting off the annoyingly loud music and banter. My arms are still around my mate. I have no interest in releasing her. I need to be touching her. It’s innate. Just like I need my next breath.
Zack is not unfamiliar with females who balk at the idea of being chosen. I’m sure it happens often. Some of them probably end up crying on his shoulder, begging for freedom they’ve already forfeited.
His face is unreadable as he sweeps a hand toward the loveseat in his office. “Would you like me to stay or step out?”
I usher my Little girl the few feet toward the offered sofa and lower to sitting, keeping her between my legs.
This seat is way too low for me. All of the furniture on this planet is too small for Eleadians, but other than an instance like this, we don’t often find ourselves faced with trying to fit on it.
The furniture we have in our apartments above the club is much larger.
“You can stay,” I tell Zack, my attention on my mate as I turn her around so she’s facing me.
Her eyes are so wide. Partly that’s just how they are. They’ve been big since I first spotted her. But they’re even larger now because she’s scared.
I slide my hands up to cup her face. My fingers are so long that I can rest my palms on her shoulders and thread my fingers in her hair, all while stroking her cheeks with my thumbs. My presence alone is calming, but it’s not enough.
Meeting her gaze, I close the distance so only a few inches separate our faces. I remember exactly what she told me, so I decide to address her initial concerns. “You have your friend’s phone, Little one?”
She nods, her teeth sinking into her lower lip.
I ease my thumb over to pluck her soft flesh free before she can draw blood. “Take a breath, Baby girl.”
She hesitates and then inhales deeply.
I smile at her. “Good girl.”
She shivers in my arms.
Fuck, she’s adorable.
“How about we let Zack take a picture of us with the phone, and he can return it to your friend. She’s waiting out front?”
My mate nods slowly. “Yes, but…” she murmurs.
Stroking her cheeks again, I lean forward to rub my nose against hers. I want to get her out of here as fast as possible. The need I feel to inhale every inch of her body is strong, but I want to be patient and let her deal with her former life for a few minutes.
I lean back a few inches and lower my gaze and one hand. “Where’s the phone, Little one?”
Her arm is shaking as she reaches into the pocket of her cardigan to pull it out. She hands it to me like such a good girl. She knows she’s mine. It’s confusing, but on some level, she’s already recognizing the need to obey me.
Not wanting to give her much time to overthink this, I turn her in my embrace between my legs, open the camera feature on the phone, flip it to take a selfie, and hold it up. I love the way we look together on the screen. She’s frightened, but she still manages to give a wan smile for the camera.
I snap the picture and immediately hand the phone to Zack.
“What’s your name?” Zack asks her.
“Bailey,” she whispers.
“And your friend who’s outside?”
“Mary.” She shudders and tries to step out of my embrace.
I have an arm around her waist, though. It’s easy to pull her back so she’s even closer to me. Her pulse is racing.
“I can’t just disappear,” she murmurs, her argument weak probably even to her own ears.
I understand how confused she is. I’m prepared for this. But I also know she feels enough of a connection to me that she’s aware of the inevitability of what we are to each other. A part of her knows walking away is not an option.
I wrap my other arm around her middle so that I’m touching her even more intimately. Claiming her, smothering her. Forcing her to inhale my scent and feel my heart beating.
Zack looks at me for directions.
“Would you like to type a message in the phone for your friend, Little one?” I suggest.
She hesitates. “Yes, please.”
As I extend a hand, Zack returns the cell to me.
I hold it in front of my girl. I won’t give her privacy. Whatever she types I will see. Keeping her between my legs, I let her wiggle her arms up so she can grip the phone.
Her hands tremble as she taps the screen and opens a text conversation. It looks like a group text that includes three people. Their names pop up across the top. Since this is her friend Mary’s phone, I surmise this text is going to Bailey’s own phone and two others.
Her fingers are poised over the letters as though she’s unable to think what to say.
“You mentioned Allisa. She was the one who dared you to come to the club. Who is Kate?” I ask.
Her voice is shaky as she replies. “Kate and Allisa are my other roommates. Mary is the one out front.”
Unable to resist, I gently kiss my Little girl’s neck. “Would you like me to type something, Little one?”
“Yes, please.” She sniffles as I take the phone from her, holding it in front of her so she can see.
My heart soars. She’s so polite and submissive. I assume she’s always been this way, but perhaps I bring out a deeper need in her. That’s normal. I quickly type a message to her friends.
This is Zingar. Your friend Bailey will be leaving Earth with me. I promise she will be protected and loved for the rest of her life. I took a picture of us on this phone. She wanted to fulfill the dare.
Before hitting send, I kiss her neck again. “Is there anything else you need to add, Little one?”
“Oh, yes.” She takes the phone from me and continues the text.
This is Bailey. I have money hidden in my pencil box in my desk drawer. Take it for yourselves. Don’t give it to my father. He’ll never know I saved it.
She’s shaking as she continues to stare at the phone. Finally she hits send and holds the phone out for Zack.
Zack quietly takes it from her and turns toward the door behind him. He leaves us alone without a word.