A few moments later, a response came in from Station 21. “Shuttle Three, this is Vos Klavoii on Station 21. We have relayed your message to Central Command and are awaiting a reply.”
My jaw clenched and I closed my eyes, glad that Vos couldn’t see me. The Games Administrator had an unpleasant habit of always being in the middle of everything that went through his station. Perhaps unsurprisingly, since he was technically the commander of Station 21. But he ran it more like the entertainment division of a corporation than an actual military installation.
I couldn’t possibly be the only one irritated by that. Could I?
“Message received. Awaiting further communications,” Yelt replied in his most formal military tone.
It didn’t take long for Vos to reply. “We’re sending down Cav and Natalie Adredoni to act as liaisons. We have been monitoring the Horde situation on Earth. Can your shuttle make it to these coordinates?” He rattled off a series of numbers and Yelt tapped them in.
“Yes, sir,” he replied. “Diagnostics shows that communications are the only part of the shuttle that sustained damage.”
“Excellent,” Voss replied. “Cav has the latest intel on Agent Lanov’s last known location. He and his bride are beaming down momentarily. Be there to pick them up.”
Natalie Adredoni, Cav’s new bride, came reeling out of the transporter first, pausing briefly to clutch her abdomen and then vomiting into a receptacle the transporter tech handed her.
Cav exited the tube next, rushing to his mate’s side to pat her back until she was done retching.
“I’m fine,” Natalie said, taking the wipe the tech handed her with a grateful nod and cleaning her lips. “As long as I can brush my teeth once we’re on board the shuttle.”
“Right this way,” I instructed them, giving a sharp salute. Even though we technically held the same rank, he had been assigned point for the rest of this mission. “We arrived here only moments ago,” I told Cav as we headed out of the small governmental building on the outskirts of the Earth city of Los Angeles. “It may take a little time to reach the coordinates Vos sent with you. This was easiest rendezvous point, but it’s in the opposite direction from Zont’s last known coordinates.”
“No problem,” Cav said. “We have some new information regarding the vehicle that was stolen in Chicago—the one we think Amelia used to abduct Zont.”
“You think he was abducted?” I glanced at Natalie, with her dark hair and pale skin. Human women were so tiny and frail. At least compared to Khanavai warriors. How could Amelia possibly have forced Zont into the Earther vehicle?
Cav saw the flicker of my gaze and laughed aloud. “Doesn’t seem possible, does it? But you’d be amazed what human women can convince Khanavai males to do.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “Well, good for her, I think,” she said. “I think if they’re traveling together, it’s a good sign for the two of them.”
Cav reached down and took his bride’s hand in his, giving it a little squeeze.
Human females, I thought. I do not understand what our warriors see in them.
But I was glad the Adredonis were there. With the information and repair materials they’d brought down from Station 21, it didn’t take us long to get back on Amelia Rivers’ trail.
It seems like a lot of trouble to go to for one Earther female.
Or so I thought until I exited the shuttle at the lodging where Amelia had been hiding my injured commander. I had just stepped out onto the dark gray pavement they called a parking lot, when I glanced into the building and caught sight of a human woman trying to remain out of the Khanavai warriors’ field of vision by remaining inside the main gathering hall for lodgers.
It was like an energy weapon shot a bolt straight through my chest—and that bolt made a 90-degree turn to pierce down to my loins. My cock jerked in response, and I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, trying to hide my visible reaction to the beautiful female I’d just caught sight of.
Like Natalie, she had dark hair. Unlike Cav’s mate, however, this Earther female wore her hair cut straight across at chin length—long enough to make me want to curl my fist into it, but short enough to be able to cover it with a space helmet, should we ever get into trouble.
Where Natalie was full of curves, this female was compact, her hips and breasts slight swells that made me want to uncover them, grasp them in my hands, take them whole into my mouth.
It was all I could do to keep from proclaiming myself then and there.
As it was, I let out a small growl.
Mine.
That one is mine.
Chapter Three
Dee
I should go help Amelia and Zont.
That was all I had been able to think as I ducked behind the desk, waiting for three giant Khanavai bounty hunters to finish striding past the sliding glass doors opening and closing automatically as each alien male stepped on the mat welcoming them to the hotel.
At least, I assumed they were the same bounty hunters I’d seen in the vids I had watched and rewatched over the last few days—the ones who had cornered Amelia in the Chicago bus station.
The ones Zont had saved her from.
Go help. Go help, I told myself over and over. But I couldn’t force my knees to stop shaking and straighten.
God. I’m such a coward.
I finally managed to stand and take a step toward the door when a huge rumbling shook the building. I grabbed the edge of the reception desk and held on.
Earthquake?
No. That wasn’t right.
A large, bright green ship touched down in the almost-empty parking lot. Lines appeared around the hatch as it unsealed, and then it popped open. Five
