His beast refused the change to his cuffs. Bahre’s mating cuffs hurt him every second he was away from me, but Bahre said it was necessary for him to maintain control of his beast. I wasn’t going to argue. Life on Earth wasn’t meant for that kind of attachment. And I wanted to work. Yes, we were rich now. Really, ridiculously wealthy. I didn’t have to work. But I wanted to. I enjoyed my job and I was good at it. Bahre would go crazy if he were stuck in our mansion all day, every day. So we made some changes.
Unfortunately, Doctor Helion and Bahre both insisted that there were more enemies out there. More bad guys who might try to hurt Bahre through me. So security was an issue.
We’d come to a resolution where one of his other Atlan friends was always—literally always—nearby when Bahre was working. It put me at ease. Bahre as well. I had personal Atlan security, which was just fine with me. It also worked out great for the big guys because where I went, they went. It gave them access to a lot more human females. Shopping. The salon. My favorite deli. It might have been overkill, but Bahre insisted.
When my beast insisted, I was pretty much helpless to resist him. Or his hands. His mouth. His cock.
Oh no, I was blushing. Again.
Ellen giggled like a teenager as she dusted a bit of extra powder on my cheeks. “You are beautiful, dear. I’m so happy you’re back.”
I’d been nervous to return to this room, but I knew Lukabo was gone. Dead. I was safe.
“Me, too.” I smiled as Ellen kissed me on the cheek. Susan followed right behind her before they gave me some space to clear my head and get ready to go on live television. That wasn’t anything new, but the role was and… I took a deep breath. I was fine.
Lifting my hands, I inspected the intricate designs that covered the mating cuffs I never wanted to take off. The idea that Bahre wanted to endure pain when he was away from me was strange.
So romantic, in a really brutal, alien way. But after what I’d seen on that space station, Bahre wearing something that hurt him a little bit seemed pretty minor. Plus, they made him happy, so I wasn’t going to argue. Bahre happy was my favorite thing in the universe.
“Thank you, my lady.” Tane stood at attention near the door, so silent I’d forgotten he was there. He seemed to be my primary guardian when Bahre was away. After all we’d been through together, I considered him a friend.
“For what?” I frowned.
“For finding Bahre,” he replied. “For accepting him. For everything you did to help bring down Cerberus. You give us all hope.”
I was not used to such praise, but I knew the words were not easy to say, so I accepted them. “Thank you.” But I was confused. “Hope for what, Tane?”
He bowed low, lower than I had seen any Atlan go. “That we might find such an extraordinary female for ourselves.”
Oh my. He was so… sweet. “You know what we need?”
“What would that be?”
“To find you a mate.” I flicked the papers in my hand against my makeup table. “Bahre and I have a new house.” It was a freaking mega-mansion if I was honest. He’d had a lot of help with converting his Atlan riches to dollars, and once I’d seen the bank account statements, I’d realized billionaire was the tip of the iceberg. Bahre was one of the richest people on the planet. Some of Bahre’s wealth came from his home world, for being Atlan and surviving the war. And even more from that jerk Prillon, Dr. Helion, for being a spy. Or assassin. Or whatever he had been.
I didn’t care about Bahre’s past. I only cared about what he was now.
Mine. I didn’t even care about the money.
Tane gaped. “How would you assist with finding me a mate?”
I laughed, a full, happy laugh from my belly. They had so much life experience, and yet they were so clueless, these Atlans. “I have a mansion now. I know a lot of people. You aren’t going to be the one on the Bachelor Beast show, right?”
He shook his head. “No. At this point, none of us will.”
“The four of you who came with Bahre? Why not?”
“We have all scented the females chosen, and our beasts have not responded.”
My eyes widened. “To any of them?”
“No.”
“That stinks.”
Tane grinned at me. “Tell me about it.” He’d been picking up on Earth slang, it was kind of adorable. He was like Bahre’s little brother, that was how I thought of him.
“I’m going to talk to Bahre,” I told him.
The door to my dressing room opened, and Bahre walked in without preamble.
“Mate. I love you. You are well?” Always, always his very first words.
I smiled. “I love you, too. And of course.” I stood and threw myself into his arms. He held me close and kissed me until I couldn’t breathe. “Now I’ll need Ellen to fix my lipstick.”
“Your lips are perfect.”
Tane cleared his throat. Bahre looked over his shoulder at his friend. “Thank you for watching over her.”
He tipped his head. “I am honored.”
I wiggled and Bahre put me down. “You two are so cute.” I grabbed my papers as the tech came to the door, looked inside at the two huge aliens, and stopped dead in his tracks. “Two minutes. You better hurry.”
“Coming!” I dashed down the hallway in my bright red high heels—I would never be caught without my number one self-defense weapon ever again—chocolate-brown sweater dress, and bright red belt. Tane and Bahre followed directly behind me, and I talked over my shoulder as I walked, my heels clicking on the floor. “We’re going to have a party, Bahre. With all your friends. I’m going to invite everyone I know. It’ll be like Cinderella’s ball.”
“Who is Cinderella?” Tane asked.
“Why would
