Page 5 of A Delicate Conquest
Bigtrouble.
When he’d agreed to help Commander Jerik secure a mate, he hadn’t expected to encounter a human female that would set his senses on fire.
But alas, he had.
She was called Bea.
Short for Beatrice Maina.
Her name sounded sweet, almost innocent, butshewas far from it.
Closing his eyes, Mavrel leaned back in his seat, exhaling softly.
Just a few rotations ago, he’d been holed up in some human corporate office on Earth, playing along with an absolute farce—all for the sake of his boss. The human owner of the tower, Garner, had even hired human mercs to try and get Jerik Garul out of his building.
What idiots.
But Jerik was trying to convince his prospective mate that hewasn’ta violent, ruthless Kordolian warlord, so Mavrel hadbeen forced to sit around idly while those human fools actually thought they had the upper hand.
In the end, it had all worked out, but Commander Garulowedhim one.
Especially since he was now caught in an entanglement that was not of his own making or choosing.
Mavrel hadn’t wanted to chase a mate—notyet.
He had things to do.
Such as the five-hundred-odd different human information databases he was currently breaking into.
Most had almost non-existent security, but a small handful were providing a welcome challenge.
At leastonehuman on Earth knew what they were doing. Nevertheless, he would be usually done by now, but he couldn’tfocus.
Pressure was building inside his head, in his chest.
It had been there ever since he’d left Earth, starting as a small niggle, expanding to become an irritation, then a nuisance, then an all-encompassing frustration.
He knew what this was.
He didn’t need this—notnow.
Abruptly, he burst out of his chair and started to pace around the room.
This was all because ofher.
What was he supposed to do now?
Mavrel stared at the array of holos and datafeeds, the blue glow comforting and familiar. This was his workstation, his personal sanctuary away from the noise of the rest of the station.
Techs like him were often left to their own devices for long periods. The higher-ups gave their orders and expected them to be done. He was used to tight deadlines and exacting demands, especially from the commanders and Tarak.
Mavrel liked working alone. He liked working to his own schedule.
He didnotlike unpredictability, things outside his control, uncertainty, unknown timelines…
Andthiswas all of those things.
The stirrings of what he very well knew was the infernal Mating Fever.