Page 46 of Rock Hard Alien

Georgie sat up straight. “You want to take me to your planet? An alien planet? Full of aliens?”

I laughed at her astonished expression. “I think it's only fair to show you my home now that you've shown me yours. Not any time soon. First, we have to find my brothers. Then we can go on adventures.”

She pushed the duvet off her legs. “Well, we better get started then. We have two gharrgoils to find.”

I sat up as well, but stopped mid-motion. Cloch.

“Georgie?”

“What's wrong?”

I groaned in frustration. “Two of my toes have petrified.”

She didn't seem as upset as me. “There's an easy way to fix that.” She licked her lips, her gaze travelling to my fangs.

“You don't mind?”

“Mind? I was almost hoping you'd turn to stone again. I love it when you drink my blood. Best feeling ever. Although this time, could you try a different spot to drink from? My thigh, maybe? Or a little higher?”

I chuckled, suddenly very glad about this latest bout of petrification. “I'm sure that can be arranged.”

Cleo came to the cottage after lunch to save us from having to travel to the city again. I'd dreaded the C-suit after yesterday's disaster, and once again Georgie was without a vehicle. If only she'd agree to let me fly her where she needed to go.

Cleo took one look at the two of us and grinned widely. “So you did it then?”

Georgie choked. “How...”

“Trust me, I've brought enough people together to recognise a happy-morning-after face. And you two are positively glowing.”

I put an arm around Georgie. “She agreed to be my mate.”

“And he agreed to be my gargoyle.” She laughed. “I've got a mark and everything.”

Georgie had put on a pretty green garment that left the top of her shoulders exposed, putting our mating mark on full display. I loved her for it.

“Congratulations. Pam sends her love,” Cleo said, dropping a huge bag on the table. “George, your car won't be fixed for another week or so. Pam is happy to provide you with a rental but she has conditions.”

I spread my wings, almost knocking some books off the shelf behind me. “What conditions?” I growled.

Cleo wasn't fazed at all. I supposed she dealt with protective males all the time.

“First, to be more careful on the road and to not have any more accidents.”

“It was the deer's fault,” Georgie muttered.

“She also wants you both to give me a DNA sample. One of the reasons why Hot Tatties is so successful in matching humans with aliens, and why the Intergalactic Authority and the Intergalactic University both like working with us, is that we have managed to prove that there are genetic markers that are the basis for a mate bond. Technically it was an Albyan scientist who first came up with it, but we've built on his method and applied it to multiple species. Pam wants to see if she can find such a marker in both your DNA, which would then mean she can scan the Hot Tatties database for other women with the same marker.”

I gripped the chair in front of me. “Are you saying you might be able to find mates for my friends that way?”

“I can't guarantee it, but there is a chance. It worked for the Vikingar, Albyans and most recently the Finfolk.”

Georgie looked as excited as I felt. “And all you need is a blood sample?”

“Not even that. Just some saliva. I'll take them to the lab this afternoon and our scientists will start work right away. I don't know how long it will take. Could be days, could be weeks.”

“That's okay,” Georgie said before I had a chance to express my impatience. “It will take time to go through the records and find the two gharrgoils. I doubt I can ask my apprentice to help us, not after everything that happened. He'll never want to work with me again.”

Cleo rummaged in her bag. “If Pam agrees, maybe I can help. I'm between projects and have spent most of yesterday trying to convince her that I should be responsible for the gharrgoil matchmaking. I think she wants you for herself, but she's way busier than me.”