Page 17 of Right on Time

He couldn’t take it. “Forgive me, my lady,” he broke the unbearable silence. “I failed to provide you with the due comforts during the trip.”

She sighed again, somewhat dreamily. “You provided me with all the comforts I needed, Subcommander. I will not forget this trip, that’s for sure.”

“I won’t either.” Wait, did he say that out loud? “I mean–I–I did not fulfill my obligations. That is a first for me.” He gave her a quick look.

Her lips were stretched into a tiny smile. “If you say so.”

She must have felt his eyes on her, because she looked up. Their gazes met.

Nitiel felt both his hearts stutter. Those green eyes had a pull as strong as a tractor beam. They drew him in, making him lean closer, making him think of forbidden things that would have him imprisoned, if not executed. But wouldn’t it be worth it? To wrap Loe in his wings, to draw her soft form against him, to taste those plumb lips now parted on a gasp–

The hatch hissed as it slid aside.

Nitiel hurriedly stepped back, body rigid, eyes on the landing bay outside.

“Come, Lady Loe,” he said firmly. “I will help you descend–”

“There she is! Chloe’s here! Woohoo!!”

Nitiel froze in place. So did Loe by his side, undoubtedly startled by the excited feminine voice echoing in the landing bay. What was Lady Trixie doing here?

He had seen the niela of his closest friend only once, upon her arrival at the station two weeks ago. It hadn’t been an actual meeting, though, because the then pink-haired Terran had fainted upon stepping off the ship. One look at her fated mate, all his medals adorning his uniform from chin to waist, and Lady Trixie had slumped to the metal floor of the landing bay. The last Nitiel had seen of her had been her unconscious form in her niel’s arms as he flew her toward the medical bay.

Now Lady Trixie was very, very conscious, jumping in place in a long pink dress and waiving both her arms over her green-haired head, face beaming. Next to her at the base of the boarding ramp, Nitiel’s friend was standing at attention but his eyes were on his niela, a proud look in his gaze despite Lady Trixie’s unladylike behavior.

“Heya, Chloe! Welcome!” Lady Trixie exclaimed loud enough for every landing bay worker to hear.

“Um… Nitiel, who are these guys?” Loe whispered, clutching his extended forearm with both hands.

“Vrixiel of the Pointed Horn Clan and his fated mate, Lady Trixie. Apparently, they are here to welcome you.”

“Vrixiel and Trixie? Seriously?”

“Seriously, my lady. Let us go meet them.” And learn what on Gaenthia was going on.

CHAPTER 10

Peeing Comes First

Chloe didn’t know what the heck was going on. First Nitiel had reverted to being all business-like, then she could swear he had been about to kiss her by the ship’s exit. And now a young woman Chloe had never seen before was fangirling over her under the watchful eye of a buff dark-green guy with four very sharp pointed horns.

“I’m so happy to meet you, Chloe!” Trixie squealed, still holding Chloe in a hug. A hug around Chloe’s legs, because Trixie was a little person and Chloe was so tall. “I couldn’t wait for our niels to officially introduce us to each other one of these days, so here I am, protocol be fucked sideways!” She pulled back and bobbed her dark-green curls in Vrixiel’s direction. “It’s thanks to him that I could access the landing bay, of course. I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t mated to the best Gaenthian in existence.” She partially covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, “Your stud muffin comes in a close second.”

Chloe followed the direction of Trixie’s gaze. Nitiel was touching one of Vrixiel’s horns with a pinkie and getting the same treatment in return. A greeting between male friends, according to what Chloe had read on the way here.

“Um, Niti–Subcommander Nitiel is not my fated mate,” Chloe explained, keeping her voice down. Every sound echoed in the metal cavern that was the landing bay. “He’s just escorting me to the Commander.”

A lop-sided smile appeared on Trixie’s face, and blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “Yes, yes, I know. Just like I know you must be anxious about what awaits you. That’s the other reason I wanted to be here: this place is much less overwhelming when there’s a familiar face around. Another human’s face, in this case.”

“Right…”

“The other human women aboard would be here as well, if it were up to us. But the motherfucking protocol… Speaking of which, I have prepared a dress for you in your guest cabin, so that your exposed calves don’t result in Gaenthians all around the station tenting their uniforms.”

Chloe bit her bottom lip to keep a giggle in.

“My bean!” Vrixiel exclaimed, voice guttural. “Please, you should not talk about such things in public.”

“What things, boo bear? I didn’t say boner, did I?”