Page 16 of Right on Time
“But what?”
“I’m just…” He scratched some more. “I’m not used to seeing you composed like a lady.”
The corners of Chloe’s lips turned up. “Why Nitiel, do you prefer my usual unladylike behavior?”
He harrumphed but looked away from her and switched to manual piloting too briskly to not look suspicious.
Chloe bit her bottom lip to stop a giggle from escaping.
Her cheerful attitude died a quick death upon the ship entering the landing bay inside the station’s top donut. Even watching Nitiel execute delicate maneuvers, so hot in his full control over the ship, couldn’t get her mind off the meeting to come.
What if contrary to her expectations, Commander Curly Horn liked her and demanded she marry him? Turning down the alien of greatest importance in Earth’s defense wasn’t an option. There would be no returning to Earth for her then. No hand-made jewelry business. No potential date with Nitiel.
Chloe cast a longing look his way, the sight of the landing bay through the porthole forgotten. She had barely thought about men after her breakup in college, disappointed as well as too focused on making her business dream come to life. Now, however, the thought of not having the chance to spend more time with Nitiel made her heart squeeze. Strange–
“Strange.”
“Huh?” Had Nitiel just read her mind? But no, he was deeply focused on the view outside. She followed the direction of his gaze.
The landing bay lay before them, cavernous and imposing, with too many fighter aircraft to count. In addition to the triangular military ships, there were several oval shuttles and cargo ships she recognized from TV. Workers from various alien species were unloading or loading the egg-shaped aircraft. Among them, a landing spot was pulsing in pale yellow.
“What is strange, Nitiel?” Chloe prompted when he proceeded to land the ship without elaborating.
“I do not see a welcoming group.”
“Oh. That’s… okay.” Perfect! The last thing Chloe needed was a crowd of soldiers cheering upon her arrival, only for her to announce the whole thing was a giant mistake.
Nitiel cast her a worried look. “Loe, you don’t understand. Not even your fated mate is here.”
CHAPTER 9
What on Gaenthia…
“There are only two reasons for Commander Siriniel not being here,” Nitiel said to Loe as much as himself. “Either there’s a battle he is overseeing, or something must have happened to him.”
But why hadn’t anyone notified Nitiel? It made no sense.
Wings fluttering in concern, he tried to focus on landing the ship. The sooner he got this task out of the way, the sooner he could find out the reason for the Commander’s absence.
“What do we do now?” Loe asked when he turned off the engines. She had remained silent throughout the landing process.
Nitiel got up and offered her the back of his hand. “We shall disembark. I will call your fated mate once outside, where you will be warm.”
“Perfect.” She placed her small hand on his without hesitation and let him guide her toward the exit hatch.
His skin tingled where it came into contact with hers. This was probably the last time he was touching Loe. Once he united her with her niel, only the Commander would be allowed to touch her. Unless it was an emergency, a single male touching a mated female faced a prison sentence.
“Wow, it’s frigging cold in here,” Loe muttered as they made their way through the ship. She pressed against his arm, seeking warmth.
His free hand balled into a fist. The desire to tuck her under his wing was almost too strong to resist. But he had to; if he gave in, it would be much harder to let Loe go. He also had to return to proper protocol, before he called her by just her name in front of others.
“You will be warm in but a moment, Lady Loe. I will see to it that a change of clothes is provided for you as soon as I contact your fated mate.”
She stiffened against him, then sighed. “Fine, Subcommander. If you can point me to a restroom right after, that would be great.”
“Of course.”
As they waited for the exit hatch to depressurize, Nitiel kept his eyes on the hatch in front of them, trying to compose himself. Loe–Lady Loe Davison still had her hand on top of his and was not saying a thing.