by Tasha Black
He shook his head and blinked a few times.
Maybe Anna was right, he was pushing himself too hard in here.
But when he opened his eyes again, the sight of the woman’s small form affected him even more strongly. A sort of halo shimmered around her, like a target.
“Fuck,” he groaned as the realization hit him.
There was no other excuse.
This was a mating bond.
Since he was a boy, he had been taught that it was like a spider web - light but strong, beautiful but deadly to those who would try to escape its hold.
But the poets had gotten it all wrong. It wasn’t like water in the desert or a rope to a drifting aeronaut.
It wasn’t like anything.
It just… was.
A fully realized force all its own. As real as the one that held the very particles of his being together. And just as undeniable.
He was in trouble here.
And he hadn’t even seen her face.
Metal shivered in his blood again and he felt himself drawn almost magnetically to follow her.
He dropped the machete and jogged for the glass doors that separated him and the trees from the rest of the ship, his thoughts of anonymity among the trees all but forgotten.
But by the time he reached the exterior and sealed the doors again, she had moved out of sight.
His heart pounded in dread.
Think, he told himself. Surely there was a sane way to deal with this.
He spotted Vaxyn walking slowly back to the spa, arms drifting as if underwater.
He should turn back to the forest, lose himself in the work. Maybe the feeling would pass with time.
“Vaxyn,” Zane heard himself shout.
Vaxyn looked up as if startled. “Zane?”
“The woman you were with, who is she?” Zane demanded. He knew his voice was too loud, his posture too aggressive, but he couldn’t stop himself.
“She’s a princess,” Vaxyn replied with quiet dignity. “She’s in the wardrobe station, awaiting a valet.”
Fantastic. A fucking princess. Of course she was.
“Thanks,” Zane yelled over his shoulder as he sprinted towards wardrobe.
Vaxyn shrugged five shoulders and slid gracefully back into the spa.
Zane raised his wrist to his mouth as he ran. “Anna,” he said into his communicator. “Change of plans. I want to valet the princess in the wardrobe station.”
“Juno Adair?” Anna’s tinny voice answered back a moment later.
“Dark hair, white gown,” Zane barked.
“Uh, yes, that’s her,” Anna said. “Are you, um, sure about this?”
“Very sure,” he said.
“I’ll let them know,” she replied.
He tapped the bracelet again, satisfied, and tried to force himself to slow down.
He hadn’t shifted to prime state involuntarily since he was a nestling, but he could feel the buzz in his blood.
He called on his discipline, breathing deep of the ship’s recycled air. Spending time in the forest had almost been enough to convince his senses he was actually outdoors. But traveling only a few meters away brought him back to his reality. He was onboard this luxury cruiser, for better or worse, for as long as he could manage it. It was a simple situation. The last thing he needed was to complicate it by involving a woman.
Especially a princess.
When he reached the door marked Wardrobe, he paused and ran a hand through his hair. It had grown longer since his stint on this ship. Back home there were servants to tend to his every need and whim. Here, he was just a member of the general population and maybe more likely than most to lose track of mundane details like haircuts, since he had never had to keep track of them himself.
If she’s my mate, it doesn’t matter. I could be wearing a bucket over my head…
At least that’s what he hoped.
She was human. Had such a pairing ever happened before?
What if the bond didn’t even work between them?
Or worse, what if it only affected him?
There’s only one way to find out.
Zane took a deep breath and opened the door.
***
Thanks for reading this sample of Crowned Mate!
Are you ready to find out what happens when Zane and Juno find themselves a whole lot closer than they planned? Do you want to know how Juno will react when she meets Cassius, a wealthy king who has the resources she needs to help her people? Or how Zane will react when this king threatens to come between him and his chosen mate?
Then grab your copy right away, so you don’t miss a beat!
Crowned Mate: Stargazer Alien Space Cruise Brides #1
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About the Author
Tasha Black lives in a big old Victorian in a tiny college town. She loves reading anything she can get her hands on, writing paranormal romance, and sipping pumpkin spice lattes.
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