Page 44 of Sublime Target
“Oh, the usual mundane things. I thought maybe you’d become aware of the presence of some rare mineral, or you wanted to develop the area yourself… bring in your own people, that sort of thing. You should know that Garner isn’t going to give up that land without a fight, no matter how compelling your reasons are.”
“We’re willing to offer him a very fair price for compensation.”
“Money doesn’t matter to people like him. Believe me, you’ll have to do better than that.”
“Our offer is based on a fair valuation of the land. If he’s wise, he’ll take it.”
Privately, Clarissa agreed, but she couldn’t say it aloud. “And if he doesn’t?”
“He will have missed an opportunity. It’s in his best interests to take the deal, and if you want to help him, you should do your best to convince him of that.”
“Thanks for the tip,” she said dryly, knowing very well that Garner had already made up his mind.
She was just a spectator watching the slow-motion train wreck unfold.
And the main actor had stolen her away from where she was supposed to be.
Suddenly, Jerik stiffened. “Wait here. Take a seat. You won’t need safety restraints as we’re only on Earth, so don’t worry about a thing. Make yourself comfortable. I need to discuss something with my pilot. Be back in a siv.”
“Uh, all right.” Clarissa glanced around the cabin, eyeing the tall-backed obsidian seats. There were six in total, each standing alone, arranged in two rows with an aisle running down the center.
Before she could move, he leaned in close, and she caught his scent again, laced with a hint of male musk. It drove her a little wild.
“You smell incredible, by the way.” His voice deepened into a low growl, making the fine hairs on her arms stand on end. A warm, pleasant sensation coursed over her scalp and down her neck, seeping into her chest and making her feel fuzzy all over.
And just a little bit aroused.
Before she could come up with a clever enough retort, he was gone, stalking through the cabin with the silence and grace of a big hunting cat.
She took the seat nearest to the window and looked outside. Crimson fire momentarily lit up the sky before blending into darkness.
They’d left the daylight behind, flying into the dark, glittering night.
SEVENTEEN
As soon as Jerik reached the cockpit, he snatched a small medi-kit from its compartment and retrieved an injection vial. Wasting no time, he stabbed it into his neck just below his jawline.
A faint sting of pain hit him, but it was nothing compared to the agony in his horn-buds and the throbbing ache in his temples.
The suppressant acted almost instantaneously, dampening the force of the Mating Fever.
Kaiin’s Hells, how was he even holding it together?
Logic and instinct were at war inside him. Part of him wanted to just take her for himself and be done with it.
There was a time when he was different. When he didn’t think so much about complicated things like morality.
When he didn’t think so much at all.
But that was a long time ago.
He still didn’t fully understand how all this had come about; how he and his kind, conditioned to be brutal and obey the hierarchy, had learned to think differently.
He had Tarak al Akkadian to thank for enlightening him. The general’s influence was one thing, but there was also the fact that he’d seen enough and done enough, and for whatever reason, a kernel of remorse had existed in his black heart.
He was under no illusions that the old him would have taken advantage of his power over her.
He was furious at his old self.