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Tahmoh’s fist is already opening and about to wrap around my throat—something that, if he shakes me (which is looking like a very good possibility) means my neck’s getting snapped like a spindly toothpick—but his woman intervenes by purring, “Tahmoh, could you please grab me Verow’s diaper bag?”
“Female,” he grits out. “I know what you’re doing.”
“So do I,” I tell the stranger, “and I appreciate it.”
“Shut up!” Tahmoh growls, leaning down to do it right in my face. And his growl is so deep, it’s actually causing my nose hairs to shudder. Intimidation factor: he’s got it.
But I have gonads of steel. They may have crawled up inside my body the moment he appeared—but they’re there. Testosterone poisoning is commencing. “Listen, fu—” I start.
Inara claps her clawed hand over my mouth and blurts, “Tahmoh, I’ve bonded to him.”
“A fact we became aware of when we arrived here,” Tahmoh hisses, eyes slitted and locked on me. “We picked up your bonding scent, Inara, and we’ve been trailing you all over this city.”
“That would not be easy in a city the size and population of Chicago,” I note.
His glower only darkens. “It wasn’t.”
“Tahmoh,” Inara tries again. “I love him.” When this only marginally calms his deadly expression, she adds, “And I’m carrying a litter.”
I don’t take my eyes off of his impressively purpling face. “I could be wrong, but I’m not sure that had the effect you were looking for,” I tell her, muffled behind her hand.
“Nope,” she sighs, sounding so much like me I have to grin. I kiss her palm.
Inara melts against me and tosses me a smile.
Andthisis what thaws Tahmoh. It’s like the guy just… relaxes. The killer’s tension eases from the air, and I can take a full breath again—even behind Inara’s hand.
But then he ruins it by announcing, “It’s time for you to return home, Inara.”
“I won’t leave Matthew,” she fires back.
“And you’ve bonded to him, ensuring you won’t be forced to,” Tahmoh says in a dangerous tone. “He’d better be worthy of you, Inara,” he adds with a warning look that should sear me.
I fight her hand to fire back, “I’mnot,”my words are still muffled behind her fingers because she’s still trying to prevent me from speaking. I nip her, making her squeak in shock and examine her hand even though I only gave her a light pinch. “But you can be damn sure I’ve made that my goal for the rest of our days.”
“Another love-nip,” Inara is saying in wonder, examining her hand.
I take it gently. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she murmurs, flashing me a loving smile.
“Matt, your mom and your sisters stopped by to…” Stacy says, peeking her head out from the doorway. I look to her to see her eyes wide as saucers. “Aliens,” she says in wonder, like she can really be surprised even after seeing Inara so often.
Then again, Tahmoh is pretty effin’ scary. And super alien. More like a mutant. When compared to his sister’s elegance and poise, he looks like he’s been hit with massive amounts of Marvel-esque radiation or something. (You know, the kind that turns you into a superhero or a villain, not the kind that boils you alive and kills you.)
He points a clawed finger at Inara and me. “Zadeon is going to tail whip you until you can’t walk after you left his vehicle out for vandals and vagrants to prey upon.”
“No one has disturbed it. It’s cloaked,” Inara defends. I want to defend her too, but I’m imagining one of my sisters taking the Boss without my permission, and parking it in the park and leaving it there.
Yeah… Might have to let this Zadeon brother of hers have some words with her. He’ll have to deliver them politely, but I can see the man’s (alien’s) side of things in this case.
“Tell that to Zadeon,” Tahmoh says archly.
Inara opens her mouth, no doubt to deliver the obligatoryI will!when a dangerous thrumming noise vibrates in our ears.
It’s unreal in its impressiveness, not unlike the exhaust growl of a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Worrisomely though, there’s not a Hellcat in sight.
Inara spins around, and immediately, I move to stand in front of her, inserting myself between her and whatever the threat is.
