Page 17 of Rogue Starfighter

Something primitive inside me rose up like an ancient beast. Insisted Priya was mine. Mine in every way. Mine to keep. To protect. To touch. To claim. I ignored it. The mark on the back of my neck pulsed as if taunting me with the undeniable truth that we were already bound. She was my mate, whether she wanted to be or not. Equally unhelpful.

What sane female would want to be mine?

Priya opened her eyes as we cleared the Gate into the Vega System. She woke instantly. No slow confusion. Her gaze moved over my face, my arm around her, the transit bay, and the planet filling the viewport.

“Huh.”

I waited.

“That’s a planet.”

“Yes.”

“A real alien planet.”

“Velerion.”

“Your planet?”

“Mine.” The word came out more possessive than intended. “And now yours, if you choose to remain.”

She looked at me. “You aren't speaking English anymore. Why can I understand you?”

“The cipher injection. I am speaking Velerion standard. Your brain is translating the language into English.”

Her eyes widened. “Any language?”

“Any language entered into the Galactic Alliance database.”

“I spent four years struggling through high-school and college French, and aliens fixed the problem by stabbing me in the neck.”

“It was not a stabbing.”

“It felt like one.”

“The discomfort has passed.”

“Thank you, Doctor Vesh.”

I was beginning to recognize that tone. Sarcasm. Priya used it frequently. She shifted in my arms. “Are you going to put me down?” No.

“Yes.”

I lowered her feet to the deck and released her. Slowly. Her body slid along mine, soft breasts brushing my chest, hips passing too close to my cock. Her breath caught. So did mine. The mark on my neck flared hot.

Priya stepped back and raised one hand to the base of her skull. “There. That’s what I felt in the tower.” She turned, pulling her hair aside. A black swirl marked the smooth brown skin at her nape. Identical to mine. I wanted to put my mouth on it.

Fuck.

“What is it?” she asked.

“The designation of a bonded Starfighter pair.”

“Bonded how?”

“We fly together.”

“That's it? We fly together?”