Big Bad Claws

by Michele Mills

  He smiled down at her with those warm hazel eyes, exposing super-sharp fangs. “Yes, I am happy to be able to communicate with you.”

  His deep voice was even better now that he was speaking words she could actually understand. “I’m happy too. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I appreciate it so, so much.”

  “Of course,” he answered, pinning her with a sincere, tender gaze. He reached out and gently tapped the tip of her nose with a gloved finger. “I will always protect and care for you. You are my future Bride.”

  6

  There was a loud clang from the other side of the room as something dropped to the ground. “She’s your what?” a voice screeched.

  “What did he say?”

  “Claws said the human female he arrived with is his Bride.”

  “No fucking way. I thought he’d taken himself off the mating database.”

  “Right?”

  Lila swallowed hard and looked away from the agitated females, back into Zayzon’s steady gaze, which hadn’t wavered for a moment. “I’m your what?” she asked. “What did you say?”

  “I said you’re my future Bride,” he repeated. “I can smell and identify the pheromones of my mate prior to touch. I recognized your scent the moment I walked inside the domicile last night and I followed it right to my room.”

  She shook her head. This had to be the most surprising thing she’d ever had someone say to her. And this included being recently told that her stepmother wanted her dead.

  He stepped forward and engulfed her hand with his gloved claw. “Lila…”

  She frowned and tugged her hand out of his grip. “No, no. This is why you’ve been so nice to me all along? That’s why you’ve let me stay? Why you’re helping me? It’s because you think I’m your mate because of how I smell? How can that be? I thought Xylan chose their mates through touch.” She pointed at his claw. “You’ve had your gloves on this whole time. If you say you know I’m your Bride already, why are you still wearing gloves?”

  “I might be able to scent that you are my future Bride, but we still haven’t formally tested. Normally Xylan find their mates through testing of mating compatibility, but my line has the rare gift of being able to scent our mates prior to touch. But I need to remain gloved until the moment we are able to clasp claws, which will initiate my ability to claim you.”

  Claim? Her cheeks flamed and her belly swooped pleasantly. She’d been attracted to him since the moment she’d seen him in bed next to her. This whole morning she’d thought she was the only one who’d felt anything, that he was a nice guy saddled with an annoying stranger. But instead he wanted to claim her? Wanted to…to have sex with her? He’d been planning it out? Her eyes hungrily roamed up and down his large, muscular body. “Oh. Uh, you think if we clasp hands we will start this mating ceremony?”

  “Yes. I cannot clasp your hand though without first formally asking for your permission.” And then he did something she did not see coming in a million years. He got down on one knee before her. He fisted one claw and thumped it against his chest. “Lila of One,” he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “I place your honor before mine. Will you also do me the honor of testing mating compatibility with me?”

  “No,” a voice shouted out. “He did not just ask for her hand.”

  Lila glanced at the two other Xylan females in the room, who stared back at her in shock. These two seemed unable to keep quiet.

  “He did, and he also placed his honor before hers…oh gosh, I haven’t seen a male formally do that, ever. Have you?”

  “No. Never.”

  Lila looked back at Zayzon, who was still on his knee, staring at her, waiting for an answer. She took a deep breath and made the hardest decision of her life. “I can’t test mating compatibility with you,” she blurted out. Yes, she was unbelievably attracted to him. Yes, she really, really liked him. She couldn’t believe this amazing Illibrium miner wanted to possibly marry her. But no, she couldn’t test while she was on the run from assassins. This was the worst possible timing ever. “I appreciate you asking, that’s very kind of you. But my answer is no, we cannot test compatibility.”

  There was a sharp gasp from across the room. “Did she just say no?”

  “Oh my gods, is she denying a Fever Brother?”

  “Yep. Claws directly asked for her hand in testing, bypassing her Manager, and she said no.”

  “She denied Claws?” the other female snort-laughed and pulled out a tablet. “Oh my gods, I have to tell Sulinda.”

  The other one eagerly pulled her tablet out of her pocket too. “I have to tell my mother. She’s going to die.”

  Lila turned back to Zayzon. “Why are they laughing?”

  His lips pursed. “Because you denied me.”

  “Why is that funny?”

  “The other inhabitants of this mining outpost find me and my brothers interesting.”

  Lila had a feeling there was more to this story than Zayzon was admitting.

  The two females loudly chuckled and elbowed each other. “…This is the second human his line has mated with.”

  “No, no, the third. I heard Daxon mated a human.”

  “Oh, that’s right, I forgot. Are they all going to mate humans? Is that why they’ve rejected every unmated female in the colony?”

  “Might be.”

  “That human is smart. I’d say no to Claws too. He’s scary as fuck.”

  A growl rumbled in Zayzon’s chest. He got up from the floor and stood to his full, intimidating height.

  Their heads jerked up and they both scooted back a step.

  “Sorry,” one of them breathed, “It’s just so…” And then she darted away, laughing, still tapping away on her tablet.

  Lila stepped down from the med bay bed and placed a hand on the fabric of Zayzon’s sleeve, trying to distract him. She hadn’t meant to embarrass him in front of the other Xylan. But he was the one who’d asked her in front of an audience. And she noticed that neither of the females were using the name he’d given her to use. “Zayzon, why are they calling you Claws?”

  “That’s my crew name, it’s what everyone here calls me.”

  “Oh I’m sorry, I can call you Claws, too.”

  “No, I like it when you call me Zayzon. It sounds right. Only my mother called me by my birth name and now you.”

  “Oh.” Gods, could he make her feel more guilty?

  “Let’s go,” Zayzon gritted. “We need to return to my domicile.”

  “Sure.” She glanced down at her pink pajamas and kitten slippers. “Um, can I purchase some new clothes, though, on the way home?”

  “Yes, you can.”

  Lila walked down the crowded street hand-in-hand with Zayzon. Despite the fact that she’d embarrassed him in front of the two females in the med bay, he’d still insisted on holding her hand. The moment they were outside he reverted back to the menacing miner he showed everyone else, except for his brothers, and now her. She glanced up at his profile. His fangs were bared, and his gloved claw twitched, like he was having trouble restraining himself from reaching out and kicking ass.

  It was actually kinda funny. And for some strange reason she found this endlessly attractive. She continued to walk next to him with that now-familiar warmth between her thighs and a pleasant tickling sensation in her belly.

  If only she could say yes. If only.

  She couldn’t believe that he’d basically asked for her hand in marriage. She had on no makeup, baggy pajamas and nerdy slippers—and this was when he’d gotten down to one knee? And he’d gently tapped on her nose twice now. He liked her nose? No one had liked her nose, except for Dad.

  And jeez, she’d publicly embarrassed this amazing man by telling him no.

  She hadn’t meant for any of that to happen. He’d been nothing but nice to her and this was how she treated him? But she couldn’t test right now and to make matters worse she couldn’t tell him why. If he knew the real story of her escape and how she w
as on the run, he’d understand, but she couldn’t tell him even that. She couldn’t tell anyone anything. She’d had to say no, without even a good explanation.

  Damn.

  The other Xylan on the streets began stopping and glancing at their screens and then back up at them with chuckles and smiles on their faces. They were whispering, pointing and laughing.

  Oh shoot. The females in the room must’ve recorded the whole thing and sent it out, and now it was going viral. Great.

  She squeezed his hand, hoping this wasn’t going to upset him too much. But she really couldn’t test with him. She was on the run, hiding from murderers. She needed to figure out where to permanently stay and remain hidden for the next moon cycle. She couldn’t pause to marry anyone when she had a pack of assassins and an evil stepmother on her heel. Right?

  Zayzon quietly led her to a public clothing fabricator. Lila let go of his hand and stepped into a private booth. It amazed her how easily she was moving about this colony. She found herself glancing up at the sky less and less. And being able to freely walk about, without having to worry about an unplanned panic attack—this was amazing. The combination of Zayzon’s nearness and this new location was bringing a rush of safety and calm into her life. Which was weird considering she was on the run.

  She reached up to tap the screen to start the commands and then dropped her hand and groaned. Dammit. “I can’t purchase any of this,” she cried. She couldn’t enter her currency code. This would instantly alert the assassins.

  “It’s okay, I’d already planned to purchase what you need,” Zayzon said as he crowded forward, gently pushing her aside.

  “You can’t do that.” It wasn’t fair for her to use him this way. She knew how little currency he had. He’d already helped so much, with nothing in return but public humiliation.

  “I am doing this,” he answered as he inputted his own currency code. “I’m happy to use my currency on my future Bride. I told you, I will always take care of you.”

  She blew out an irritated breath, not wanting to remind him that his dwelling was barely livable and his limited currency should instead be used towards keeping a stable roof over his head, not on buying clothing for a human he’d just met. A human who’d denied him in front of two females who’d recorded the whole thing and immediately sent it out to the entire mining community.

  “Choose your new clothing,” he ordered.

  She gave a curt nod and stared intently at the small screen for the fabricator, trying to decide which clothing would be the cheapest and yet serviceable. She really did need new Xylan clothes. She couldn’t walk around in pajamas from New Earth, and there weren’t other clothes at his home for her to borrow.

  When all of this was over, she’d make sure to deposit a large amount of currency into Zayzon’s account to thank him for his selfless kindness. This immediately helped to ease her concerns.

  “Tell me, why don’t you want to test compatibility with me?” he asked.

  Shoot, she’d been wondering when he’d finally ask. “Why don’t I want to test with you?” She tapped on the screen. Um, maybe because a pack of assassins was on her heels and her evil stepmother was probably right now plotting her demise? But she couldn’t tell him any of this. She needed to protect him from her drama. The moment the assassins pinpointed her location, they wouldn’t have any problem with taking him out, as well as his brothers. “Zayzon, you don’t even know me,” she pointed out. “Don’t you think you should wait to ask me something so monumental until you get to know me better? I arrived in the middle of a rainstorm and climbed naked into your bed. Don’t you find that odd? I’m not even of your species. I obviously don’t belong here on this planet. How can you want to test compatibility with a human you don’t even know? What if I’m a danger to you?”

  “I can smell that you are mine. This is all that matters, all else will fall into place.”

  She rolled her eyes and went back to focusing on the fabricator screen. “I can’t test with you or anyone else.”

  “Why? Why can’t you test mating with anyone right now?”

  She clenched her jaw. “Zayzon, I’m not here through the usual channels. Maybe I’m up to no good.” She glanced around. “In fact, I can’t believe I haven’t been picked up yet by peacekeepers for illegal immigration.”

  “Oh, they tried,” he said.

  “What? When?”

  “When you were in the middle of your language chip procedure. I walked out for a moment to deal with the peacekeepers in the hall. A human walking down the streets in foreign clothing was noticed. Also, the doctor in med bay alerted them. I knew this would happen when I took you outside this morning, but it had to be done to get you the translator you needed.”

  Her brow creased. “Are they going to arrest me?”

  “No. I told them I’d scented my Bride and that you’re my future mate. They backed off. According to the Scales of Xylan Law, any being that is the confirmed mate of a Xylan is instantly a citizen of the Xylan Empire.”

  She blinked. “I’m a citizen?”

  “Not yet. They’re giving us time to work this out.”

  Hmm. She felt guilty for thinking this but…this just might be the cover she needed to hide out. “How long are they giving us?”

  “One moon cycle.”

  Perfect. “I have one moon cycle until I’m kicked off Timbur?”

  “You will not be kicked off Timbur.”

  “Well, I could…”

  “You are my Bride. You’ll remain here on Timbur with me for the rest of your lifespan. This is your new home.”

  This guy.

  He thought this planet was her new home? As if she didn’t have her own home planet? Her own responsibilities elsewhere? He was so damn sure of himself. It must be nice to walk through life with the confidence of an Illibrium miner. “What if I don’t want to stay?”

  “Why would you want to leave without testing first? I know you feel this too.”

  She placed her hands on her hips. “What do you mean? What do I feel?”

  He inhaled deeply. “I can smell your arousal. It is always there, taunting me. Sometimes it’s low, as now, but other times it is very strong, like when we were together in the bunk.”

  Her cheeks heated and an embarrassed whimper escaped her lips. Oh gods, she wanted the ground to swallow her up. He knew? He knew. “You don’t understand, it doesn’t matter how I feel, I can’t commit to anyone right now.”

  “Why? Is it because you have a pleasure mate waiting for you on your home planet? If so, you need to discard him immediately. I will bring you more pleasure than this human ever could.”

  She stared at him in shock, then replied. “No, I don’t have a pleasure mate. I’m a virgin who’s never even had a single boyfriend. And I can’t tell you why I can’t test, for your own safety.”

  “You’re a virgin too?” he grinned. “Perfect, so am I. All Xylan are celibate until they clasp hands with their mate and their body is enflamed with sexual pheromones.”

  ‘Enflamed with sexual pheromones?’ She covertly fanned at her flaming cheeks. “I cannot clasp hands with you because I have to keep you safe,” she firmly repeated.

  “My own safety?” he snort-laughed. He lifted a giant claw for her perusal. “You think you have a danger in your past that my brothers and I can’t protect you from?”

  Her lips thinned. “Yes, there are some things even Illibrium miners can’t fight. And I don’t want you hurt because of me.”

  He crooked an eyebrow ridge at her.

  “It’s true. My troubles could get you hurt. Your brothers could get hurt too. I’m going to make sure that never happens. What you don’t know won’t hurt you.”

  He blew out an agitated breath.

  She turned back to the screen and chose a black shirt. “What is this testing of compatibility thing like?” she asked absently. “Explain it to me. I’ve heard of it, but I don’t understand the specifics. What would we have to do?”
<
br />   “Well, usually I would have to go to the Manager of your line and request testing of compatibility. Or actually I would talk to my Manager who would then talk to your Manager. Then we would perform the clasping ceremony at the multigod altar here on Timbur. But the Manager of my line was my mother, and she passed away last year. I no longer have a Manager and because you are human you don’t have one either.”

  She paused. “Oh, your mother passed away recently? I’m so sorry, Zayzon. My mother is gone too. I know what that feels like. My mother died three years ago, she and my brother both died in a vehicular accident.”

  “Both my parents are dead.”

  “Both of my parents are gone too. My father died this last year. And I…”

  She quickly shut her mouth. They stared at each other for a moment, then she blew out a breath and turned back to choose a few other items.

  Shoot. She’d almost told him everything, blurted out the entire story. Jeez. This male was going to be hard to resist.

  7

  Zayzon strode down the street, proudly holding Lila of One’s pink sleep clothing and the odd shoes she’d been wearing. Some kind of furred, mammalian creature was depicted on top of her “slippers,” as she called them. The fabric tickled his chin, but he didn’t mind. These were her clothes, which held her scent. It was as close as he was getting to his female prior to their testing and claiming. And at this point, he’d take what he could get.

  She was dressed now in typical Xylan clothing—a black shirt and pants and the same type of red shoes females sometimes liked to wear. She lacked the long, braided hair of his kind and had no ridges on her forehead or any claws and fangs. Her skin was basically colorless, but he was getting used to it. He liked how she looked, striding next to him down the street.

  He had her clothes bundled in one arm, because his other gloved claw was still holding her bare hand, letting everyone who passed know his claim upon this human female. He’d sensed her fear of the unknown the moment they’d stepped out of the domicile. He could smell it—stronger than her arousal. So, he’d held her hand to give her strength. It seemed to work because she was now striding down the street like she owned the planet.