by Elsa Jade
Under her bent knuckle, his heart thudded. “Lun-mei.”
“He won’t remember anything except that he made a bad choice coming after you. And this will be his one chance to not make the same mistake again.” She hooked her elbow through his. “Come on. I have an idea.”
When she explained, Mach had to follow her orders. Not just because she’d accidentally become his keyholder but because she was clever and right.
After dosing Cross and his cronies, they drove his very large truck to the other side of the county, Delta following in the ranch truck. Mach wedged the truck neatly against the guard rail, off the road, as if the truck had veered off the pavement.
Conveniently, the cab of the truck was already littered with an empty fifth of top-shelf vodka and a case worth of cheap beer cans, also empty. No wonder Cross had believed he could wage war on the ranch.
In the darkest hour of the October night, they met no one on the road—good thing—and they left the staged “crash” with Cross bent over the wheel, snoring, his crumpled hat cushioning his head. His two henchgoons, as Lun-mei called them, cuddled in the back seat. They’d be warm enough until state troopers responded to Delta’s call about a big truck driving erratically.
Cross might be able to fast-talk the local constabulary, but his reach wasn’t far enough—yet—to save him from these repercussions.
Returning to the ranch, Mach followed Lun-mei to check on the yurk where they’d left her in a large loose box in the barn happily downing donuts.
She was curled up asleep with Chip and Pickle on either side. Mach blanched when he saw them together. “That meeting could’ve gone…badly.”
“The unifying power of snacks,” Lun-mei said, then added in her vet voice, “But yes, you’re going to need to watch her until she’s tamed.”
The yurk would never be fully trained because that would mean she was a beast of war, and now, here on Earth, she’d never have to be that.
He and the dogs watched while Lun-mei slathered ointment on the buckshot wounds in the yurk’s flank, but her touch was so gentle, the hatchling never even opened her eyes. He knew that feeling.
“Her nanotech is already maturing enough to break down the pellets,” Lun-mei told him. “But…well, I just want to be sure she’s all right.”
“Even nanites appreciate some loving,” he murmured.
She straightened to look at him. “So I guess you’re next.”
Next for loving? His chest ached where the shotgun blasts had nailed him.
In his bordello-ugly bathroom (Delta had apparently repaired the broken tub spigot and replaced the missing gold finial with a silver one) she stripped off his shirt. He stood still while she fretted over him with only slightly less thoroughness than she’d shown the yurk.
“When I saw Cross with the gun on you…” She shuddered, staring hard at the silver-edged holes peppering him from shoulder to pec. The sheen of tears over her dark eyes hurt worse than the holes.
“When I saw you on the yurk…” He put his finger under her chin to tip her gaze up to his. “I was in awe.”
Her lips trembled, but then finally curved upward. “Yeah, it was pretty awesome.”
“Unbelieeeeeevable.” Smoothing his thumb over that smile, as if he could imprint it on his feelings forever, he met her gaze. “Truly. In a hundred and fifty years, I never believed there’d come a day where I didn’t fear looking up into the sky and seeing the keyholder coming for me. From now on, I’ll always remember you, coming out of the night on an alien dragon. To save me.”
She stepped into his grasp so that he slid his hand behind her neck, cradling her. The way her lashes fluttered seemed to match a trembling inside him.
Though he bent to slant his mouth over her, the kiss wasn’t a falling but a rising, like the hot yellow sun on this world, thawing a coldness in him that he’d thought was forever and sparking something new—a hope for a future.
He knew he was getting his seasons mixed up. Winter was coming to this Big Sky Country, not spring. But somehow being with Lun-mei made anything possible.
She guided him to the mostly empty room where he’d spent his offline hours staring blankly upward at the ceiling. But now he knew a new use for the bed. When she stripped him naked then made him watch while she did the same for herself, the thrumming of his blood and the soft whisper of her lips on his skin replaced any memory of lonely silence.
When she pressed him back on the bed before rising to straddle him, her soft, sleek body swallowing him, he swore he saw the stars above.
And they were beautiful.
Epilogue
In the slanting early morning light, Delta called the dogs out of the yurk’s pen. They’d gone from terrified of her to fascinated (although maybe that was just because of the donut crumbs she left behind) and while she probably wouldn’t eat them if left to her own devices, he wasn’t taking any chances.
Unlike his Alpha, who suddenly seemed on fire to take all sorts of chances.
He didn’t fool himself. He was Delta for a reason. And not just a Delta—behind the unit’s Alpha, Beta, and Gamma—but a Delta V. Fifth of the unit and most expendable. That the rest of the Deltas on their ship had perished in the crash didn’t suddenly make him more important, just less dead.
Although with the bulk of his programming permanently inaccessible, he was still basically dead. Worse than useless—a locked box with its contents gathering dust. At least an empty box could hold something else.
Against all likelihood, Mach had imprinted on the little country doc. She might not have the key to unleash their systems, but her presence had freed the Alpha from their engineered constraints in a way Delta didn’t understand or feel.
It seemed risky. But then, he was just a Delta.
Except maybe… If Mach had managed to modify his operational parameters to include Lun-mei, maybe even a low Delta didn’t have to stay fifth of zero forever.
Maybe he could change to something—someone—else.
He just needed to find his own sweet, unsuspecting Earther girl.
Maybe it was time to contact the Intergalactic Dating Agency.
DELTA V
CYBORG COWBOYS OF CARBON COUNTY
INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elsa Jade, author of sexy shapeshifting romances, also writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy romance, and science fiction romance as Jessa Slade and sexy contemporary romance as Jenna Dales. In all her incarnations, she believes in the transformational power of love and is thrilled to share her stories with like-minded readers.
More from Elsa Jade
Mating Season: Wolves of Angels Rest
Hero
Joker
Rogue
Warrior
Lost Wolf
Ghost Wolf
Cry Wolf
Fighter
Wish Upon a Werewolf
Beast
Coyote’s Christmas Kiss
Shifters in Love: Fun & Flirty (in the world of Angels Rest)
Bear and Baby
Bachelor Bear
Barely Bear
Mating Fever: Masters of the Flame
Dragon Fever
Dragon Fate
Dragon Fall
Intergalactic Dating Agency: Big Sky Alien Mail Order Brides
Alpha Star
Red Shift
Dark Matter
After Burn
Freefall: Team Prism (The Great Space Race)
Intergalactic Dating Agency: Black Hole Brides
The Intergalactic Duke's Inconvenient Engagement
The Interstellar Rake's Irresistible Kiss
The Interdimensional Lord's Earthly Delight
Cyborg Cowboys of Carbon County
Mach One
Delta V
Big Bang
More Science Fiction Romance from Jessa Slade
Queen of Starlight ~ FREE DOWNLOAD!
Prince of Passion
&n
bsp; Assassin’s Hunger
ABOUT ROMANCING THE ALIEN
Looking for a love that’s out of this world? These strong, smart, sexy aliens are seeking mates from the Milky Way. Just hop onboard with your local Intergalactic Dating Agency and become an Alien Mail Order Bride! Join eight authors as we explore the friendly skies and beyond with trilogies of cosmic craving, astral adventure and otherworldly lovers. Warning: abductions may or may not be included!
Putting the “sigh” and the “friction” in science fiction romance!
You can read more about the books and the authors at RomancingTheAlien.com or be the first to hear about all the exciting new releases and occasional sales by joining the Romancing The Alien reader group on Facebook.
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed this story, I would love if you would help others enjoy this book, too.
Recommend it. Please help other readers find this book by recommending it to friends, in readers’ groups, and on discussion boards and social media.
Review it. Please tell other readers why you liked this book by reviewing it at your favorite bookstore sites, on social media, your blog, or any place readers like you gather.
Word of mouth, one reader to another, is the most powerful force in the book lovin’ universe. And that power is yours! Once again, thank you for being a reader!